publication archive: events
February 18, 2013
farmdoc daily Reaches 500
Today we celebrate another farmdoc daily milestone. Friday's post was the 500th since we started publishing in March 2011. We are actually slightly ahead of our long-standing goal of providing one post each day based on original analysis and writing. And what an amazing array of topics that have been covered.Posted by Scott Irwin Permalink Tweet
January 4, 2013
IFES 2012: Overview and Impacts of Proposed Changes in the 2012 Farm Bill
Listen to MP3 podcastThe main issue shaping the political debate around the 2012 Farm Bill is the desire to cut spending for deficit reduction. While farm programs do not represent the biggest piece of the Farm Bill pie, they are the main targets for program modifications and reductions in overall support as they become more difficult to justify with farm incomes reaching record levels.
Posted by Nick Paulson Permalink Tweet
January 3, 2013
IFES 2012: Crop Insurance - 2012 Performance and Updates for 2013
Listen to MP3 podcastThough final numbers will not be known until early 2013, crop insurance policies resulted in very large indemnity payments over a large region of the Corn Belt for both corn and soybeans for the 2012 crop. Policies that included the harvest price option benefitted significantly from the increased harvest prices (corn = $7.50 and soybeans = $15.39) relative to March projected prices (corn of $5.68 and soybeans of $12.55), and the resulting increased guarantees. Producers without claims benefitted from the higher market prices that accompanied the lower production due to drought. The Risk Management Agency has announced several important changes to available crop insurance programs for the 2013 crop year as well and these will be identified and discussed including substantial changes to group policies, extensions and expansions of the Trend Adjusted APH endorsement, impacts of rerating, and the likely impact of the payouts from this year's policies.
Posted by Bruce Sherrick Permalink Tweet
January 2, 2013
IFES 2012: Crop Insurance - Tax Reporting Options
Listen to MP3 podcastApproximately 80% of Illinois farmers purchased various types of crop insurance on their 2012 crops. The total premiums for these policies were over $770 million. It is projected that the total claims will exceed twice the amount of the premiums.
Posted by Gary Hoff Permalink Tweet
December 28, 2012
IFES 2012: The Impact of Biofuels Mandates on Grain and Oilseed
Listen to MP3 podcastMinimum volumes of biofuel usage were first mandated for the U.S. in the 2005 Energy Policy Act and then revised in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The current legislation sets annual minimum volumes through 2022 in four categories of biofuels: cellulosic, biomass-based diesel, undifferentiated advanced, and renewable. There is a hierarchy among these different categories based on their life-cycle contribution to reducing "green house" gas (GHG) emissions. Most people are surprised to learn that there is not an explicit mandate for corn-based ethanol. Instead, corn-based ethanol has been the cheapest alternative to date for fulfilling the renewable component of the mandates.
Posted by Scott Irwin Permalink Tweet
December 27, 2012
IFES 2012: Crop and Livestock Price Prospects for 2013
Listen to MP3 podcastThe crop price environment will likely remain very volatile in 2013, reflecting production uncertainty and unsettled economic issues. However, a transition to lower prices is anticipated as production rebounds. The extent of the price decline will depend heavily on the outcome of the 2013 crops.
Posted by Darrel Good Permalink Tweet
December 26, 2012
IFES 2012: 2013 Projected Crop Farm Incomes: A Drought Reprieve
Listen to MP3 podcastNet farm incomes in 2012 on many grain farms will be above expectations, even given relatively low corn and soybean yields caused by the drought. This will occur because of two factors countering yield losses: 1) higher corn andsoybean prices and 2) crop insurance payments. Corn and soybean prices increased beginning in the summer and fall of 2012. Cash prices for corn were in the mid-$6.00 range per bushel in the spring, reaching the high-$7.00 per bushel range in the fall. Soybeans were in the $14 range in April and reached the $15 range in the fall of 2012. Price increases partially countered yield declines on farms that did not have a great deal of per-harvest hedging in the spring.
Posted by Gary Schnitkey Permalink Tweet
March 14, 2012
Tackle Economic, Agronomic and Technological Issues at Top Farmer Crop Workshop
We are pleased to announce that the farmdoc team will be partnering with the Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture on the 45th annual Top Farmer Crop Workshop, which is set for July 9-11, 2012 in West Lafayette, Indiana. As two of the leading agricultural economics programs in the country, we are looking forward to providing workshop participants with solid, science-based information on some of the most pressing issues facing farming operations today.Posted by Brent Gloy and Scott Irwin Permalink Tweet
December 20, 2011
2011 IFES: USDA - NASS Revealed: Procedures in Setting Crop, Livestock and Economic Estimates
Listen to MP3 podcastOverview
The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) conducts hundreds of surveys every year and prepares reports covering virtually every aspect of U.S. agriculture. Production and supplies of food and fiber, prices paid and received by farmers, farm labor and wages, farm finances, chemical use, and changes in the demographics of U.S. producers are only a few examples of information in NASS reports.
Posted by Brad Schwab and Mark Schleusener Permalink Tweet
December 19, 2011
2011 IFES: Crop and Livestock Price Prospects for 2012
Listen to MP3 podcastCrops
Crop prices continue to trade in wide ranges, reflecting factors ranging from U.S. and world production uncertainty to world economic and financial conditions. The price environment will likely remain very unsettled in 2012.
Posted by Darrel Good Permalink Tweet
November 3, 2011
2011 Illinois Farm Economics Summit - The Profitability of Illinois Agriculture: Managing in a Turbulent World
Plan to attend a meeting at one of these locations:Monday, December 12, 2011 - Champaign, IL I Hotel and Conference Center
Tuesday, December 13, 2011 - Sycamore, IL Center for Agriculture
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - Galesburg, IL Best Western Prairie Inn
Thursday, December 15, 2011 - Mt. Vernon, IL Holiday Inn
Friday, December 16, 2011 - Bloomington, IL Doubletree Hotel
Posted by Sue Esposito Permalink Tweet
June 16, 2011
Save the Date: Announcing the Schedule of 2011 IFES Meetings
The University of Illinois Extension and members of the farmdoc team from the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois once again will be holding a series of five Illinois Farm Economics Summit meetings to discuss and analyze the most pressing economic issues facing Illinois producers.Posted by Scott Irwin Permalink Tweet
March 17, 2011
Welcome to farmdoc Daily!
The goal of the farmdoc Project has not changed since its inception in 1999-- to provide crop and livestock producers in the U.S. Corn Belt with round-the-clock access to integrated information and expertise to better manage their farm businesses. While the goal has remained constant, the technology available to meet that goal has undergone enormous changes during the last dozen years. Smart phones, iPads, blogs, and social networks are now commonplace but scarcely imagined just a few years ago.
Posted by Scott Irwin Permalink Tweet
