Please join us for live podcast recordings of “In the Driver’s Seat” episodes. Look through the following schedule for the topics you’re most interested in, then grab a seat for an entertaining and informative discussion. Tuesday, 8/27 9:00am Preserving Quality in Your Grain How to handle, store, and keep grain high quality for the…
Keeping track of your business with different grain buyers can be overwhelming today. You have to maintain separate logins, match spreadsheets with sales tickets, and manually total transactions to see if you’re profitable. All tough to do on the fly when you need to make sound decisions fast. This is why ADM is fully embracing…
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…
Some veterans in the ag industry are calling this spring a “100-year event.” Never in history has there been a year quite like this one. To complicate matters, the U.S.-China trade talks continue to struggle and tariffs have escalated once more, taking a toll on the markets. This rare triple-whammy (trade, markets, and weather) creates…
Results from the 2017 U.S. Census of Agriculture have been published, and the picture of farming is changing. There are over 321,000 producers under the age of 35, and that ratio is growing as older generations pass on management of their farms. The USDA report says, “Farms with young producers making decisions tend to be…
When markets are bordering your break-even, it’s encouraging to hear from producers who are making it work. One straight-shooter on the speaking circuit is Matt Bennett. He grows corn and soybeans on a 3,000-acre farm in Illinois. For Bennett, it all comes down to staying focused and preparing for unforeseen opportunities. “We’re all under stress…
One big question in 2019 is trade: Will the U.S. and China reach an agreement? Will Congress approve the pact with Canada and Mexico? While export markets are important, there are other market drivers to consider: South American weather, African swine fever, and U.S. corn-soybean acreage swings, to name just a few. Because so much…
With harvest underway, hopefully your 2018 grain marketing plan is still in place, guiding you on whether to sell or store the extra bushels in this large harvest. Successful businesses continually review their wins and losses so they can move forward with a better plan. We take up the challenge of evaluating your grain marketing…
Corn and soybean markets have been discouraging lately, to say the least. Trade uncertainty, changing world demand, fund positions, and large crop projections have created a crazy environment around commodity prices. It’s natural to fear what’s next and wonder what you can do to keep your operation on sound footing. While we don’t pretend to…
Successful companies start with a basic business plan. Farming is no different. In fact, with the future of your farm on the line, developing a grain marketing plan is one of the most important factors in determining your success. Yet it’s the piece farmers often find most difficult or intimidating. That’s the reason we’ve launched…
