It’s no secret that farming is a stressful occupation – no matter how noble it is. With growing stress around economics, a multitude of daily tasks, and now a global pandemic, mental health has become a bigger conversation – or it should be. Feelings are easy to push down or out of the way because…
Welcome to 2017! We hope you’ve had a restful holiday season, and that you’re sticking to your New Year’s resolutions. Did you resolve to be more strategic in your grain marketing? It might be a good one to add to your list. Let’s admit it. Record harvests and supplies have created markets that are less…
When it comes to spreading risk and planning for profit, the calendar is your friend. Timing your grain marketing — that is, selling portions of your crop at intervals throughout the year — is not only a good way to spread risk; it also helps remove some of the emotions around marketing. “A time-stamped marketing…
Many farming operations need cash in the fall and spring. According to ADM Grain Origination Specialist Glenn Menke, the trick is paying bills without surrendering market upside on the grain you deliver. “During harvest, you’ve got high fuel costs, fall-applied fertilizer and anhydrous, final fall rent payments, and maybe some real estate taxes,” says Menke.…
These are challenging times in the ag sector, especially for farmers who didn’t get in a whole crop this spring. You may need to reapply for financing. Whether it’s getting an operating loan to put in the new crop, getting financing for expansion, or just making it through a rough patch, there are things you…
When conditions are tough, it’s natural for lower order thinking and survival instincts to kick in—like the brain of a squirrel in survival mode. Economists call these habits “heuristics”—bad habits that take over and sabotage good decision-making. Our latest podcast aims to help you understand and resist your “squirrel brain.” Doug Roose, V.P. of Producer…
Crop insurance is an important tool to improve your margins. It gives you freedom to market your grain at the best possible price, which typically occurs early in the crop year. As a safety net for both crop failure and declining markets, your policy helps you protect a price well beyond the guaranteed minimum—critical in…
What’s a common characteristic of winning sports teams? Ed Usset, a professor at the University of Minnesota’s Center For Farm Financial Management frequently asks farmers, ag students, and now listeners of the ADM In the Driver’s Seat podcast.