Demographics
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Floods Destroy Over $3 Billion in Pakistani Crops
The recent deadly floods in Pakistanhave destroy $3.27 billion of rice, cotton and sugar production according to is Farm Minster Naza Muhammad Gondal. The country lost about 2.4 million metric tons of rice (about 80 million bushels) and 10.4 million metric tons of sugar can. The country may also need to import almost 3 million […]
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IRS Issues 5th Update of Extreme Drought Areas for Extended Livestock Replacment Period
The IRS has released the fifth annual list (published each September) of counties or parishes in which exceptional, extreme, or severe drought has been reported during the preceding 12 months. This list can be used instead of the U.S. Drought Monitor maps to determine whether an extended replacement period applies for livestock sold because of […]
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This Land of Ag Diversification
I spent this weekend and Monday traveling to Boise from Yakima and back again. On the trip down to Boise, I drove through the irrigation section of the Columbia Basin. This area grows a wide variety of crops such as onions, potatoes, wheat, corn, peas, beans, hay and lots of vegetable seed crops. After that, […]
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What is a Super Juice?
I was reading this article on Reuters.com about a “Superfoods Company” Genesis Today revealing a new advertising campaign for their line of “super juices”. These juices are comprised of fruits that tend to have a perceived health benefit such as anti-oxidants, etc. Fruits involved are cranberry, pomegranate, acai and most berries. Their campaign will strive […]
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Is an Unlimited Estate Tax Exemption for Farm Estates Harmful?
I came across an article put out by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities from Washington DC. The gist of the article was that having an unlimed estate tax exemption for farm estates is unnecessary and likely harmful. The focus of the article is that this policy would create 3 harmful situations: First, according […]
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Better Investment – Farmland or Stocks?
As you can probably guess this headline that the answer is – “It Depends”. Iowa State University economist Mike Duffy ran some numbers comparing the return from owning farmland to owning stocks over certain time frames. Returns are comprised of two components: Yearly return – Cash dividends on stocks and cash rents (or the equivalent […]
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New Game Plan for Potash
Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan is one of three Canadian potash producers who Canpotex. Canpotex handles all of their sales outside North America. Two other similar organizations are Belarusian Potash and International Potash. These three entities control nearly 70% of the world’s potash production. By cooperating with each other, they are able to mitigate any decreases […]
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Russia Extends Its Wheat-Export Ban
The Wall Street Journal had a fairly extensive article in today’s paper on the extension of the ban of wheat exports by Russia from December of this year until after next year’s crop. However, as most traders and farmers know, you will believe what Russia says at your own risk. What we do know from […]
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Wheat Basis Has Widened by up to 44%
Kansas State University provides a very good map of basis for most of the major crops over most of a five state region comprising all of Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and parts of Texas and Colorado. These maps on a weekly basis show what the current basis is and how it compares to the three year […]
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What will Yields Look Like in 50 Years
I have read several articles recently regarding the trend in yields for corn and beans over the last 20-30 years. During the 1980’s and early 1990’s, the average increase in corn yields was about 1.5%. During the last 15 years or so, the yield increase has been closer to 2%. How will corn yields look […]