”There are decades when nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen.” – V.I. Lenin Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, news stories, analysis and opinions have been flying around the clock non-stop. I believe there are three sides to every story: what one side says, what the other side says and then reality somewhere
The big numbers of the Ukraine war
Both players are major resource providers that will cast a long shadow on economies
How high could interest rates go?
The consensus is they’re set to rise but many could be underestimating how much
There has been a lot of talk lately about inflation and what higher interest rates could mean for the markets, the economy and your investments. Are rising interest rates bad for stocks? How high can rates go? How will it affect my bottom line? And not just the investment side of your balance sheet but
Your grain marketing multi-tool
Using options can help you accomplish many marketing goals with less risk
Are you thinking more and more about new-crop grain marketing? Maybe you’ve wanted to make some sales up at these levels but are concerned about another dry year with the associated production concerns. Maybe you just believe prices are still going higher and want to be patient, but worried in the back of your mind
How to market grain in our current environment
A conversation from the Between The Rows podcast can give you some insight
Looking for some current insights into marketing your grain? Here’s a transcript of a recent discussion between journalist Ed White and myself on Between The Rows the podcast of Glacier FarmMedia. I think it can give you some good information for the coming year. Ed White: 2021 has been a great year for crop prices.
Global factors key in changing ag landscape
China, Russia, biofuel trends among factors likely to affect future market risks
I recently read The New Merchants of Grain: Out of the Shadows by Jonathan Kingsman. It’s like an updated version of the 1979 classic Dan Morgan book The Merchants of Grain. The book follows a series of interviews and discussions with senior executives from many well-known grain companies like ADM, Bunge and Glencore but also
Put the cash advance to work in your marketing plan
The APP can give you the flexibility to plan commodity sales and optimize the prices you receive
In the world of business, different strategies often create synergies where one plus one can equal three. Of course, the same is true for farming. There are many agronomic strategies that are used together from advanced seed genetics, to crop rotation and variable-rate fertilizer applications, to tile drainage or irrigation pivots and the list goes
Hyperinflation requires certain triggers
Inflation is more common and easier to plan and invest for
There’s been a lot of talk about inflation and even hyperinflation lately. So in a last of a series on inflation, money supply and interest rates, I thought it would be a good idea to see what happened during the infamous hyperinflation of the 1920s German Weimar Republic. And, to see if similar conditions could
Watch with interest, what goes down…
Rates will have to go up someday, but nobody can predict when
Last month, I looked at rising commodity prices, money creation and whether inflation may or may not develop. This month, we’ll look at what all that might mean for interest rates. Interest rates, according to economic theory, are made up of two components: an inflation figure and the real rate of economic growth. These components
Is inflation risk overhyped?
A lot of people — perhaps too many — are talking about inflation
A lot of people, perhaps even too many people, are talking about inflation. I say this because when there’s so much attention on a topic, you have to wonder if it’s being overhyped, or if maybe there’s something more to it. Various inflationary factors are starting to appear. Recent U.S. government reports show signs of
Lots of weather left this growing season
Examining the numbers suggests a poor start doesn’t doom a crop
“Rain makes grain,” or “Seed into dust and the bins will bust,” and of course, “Wheat is a weed, you can spit on it and it will grow.” All these old sayings are really great because there’s a lot of truth in those time-tested nuggets of wisdom. Anecdotal sayings have a lot of validity to
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
