Today we saw the familar face of IT Manager John Parise back in the office at 601 SW Water Street.  He's spent the past 6 months in Germany as Delta Troop Commander with the Illinois Air National Guard 264th Combat Communications Squadron, 5th Communications Support Element.  This evening John and some of his Water Street cohorts celebrated his return with too much food at the Burger Barge.  It's great to have you back, John!

If you're wondering what the government has in store for Crop Insurance for next season, check out page 2 of our newsletter.

September 2010 Crop Insurance Newsletter

It was a little warm this year, but we enjoyed another couple of days in Wisner, Nebraska at Thunder By The River.  We had a chance to visit with a lot of our good Nebraska clients, including Scott Krusemark who works hard at this event, along with a lot of Wisner's business leaders.

Sam and Aaron, on the track                       Sam and Aaron with Scott Krusemark

Hanging with The Intimidator                     An interview with the track announcer

The markets have been a little wild lately...enough to give any farmer a little indigestion.  But if you have a plan and stick to it, it's easier.  Back in March we talked about building a strategy around a good understanding of your numbers.  Today KRVN's Ken Rahjes checks back in with Water Street Solutions Market Advisor Chip Nellinger for an update.

August 16 2010 Staying on Strategy - Nellinger.mp3 (1.35 mb)

Do you ever feel like some elements of marketing your crops or livestock are a little too risky for your comfort level?  If that's the case - it probably has a lot to do with what you know.  Water Street Solutions' President and CEO Darren Frye talks with KRVN's Ken Rahjes about the difference between hedging and speculating.

July 26 2010 Taking the Gamble Out of Marketing Tools - Frye.mp3 (2.75 mb)

It's amazing the correlation between successful people and those who have been able to take their mistakes and turn them into something positive.  In this interview, Water Street Solutions' Director of Development Dean Heffta talks through the process of making mistakes into a growth opportunity.  He shares with KRVN's Ken Rahjes seven key points around learning from our mistakes.  And the last one's a really good one.

July 19 2010 Learning From Our Mistakes - Heffta.mp3 (5.05 mb)

You have a lot of decisions to make on the farm, and some of those decisions are made by default as you run out of time before the next season.  Many times the timeline is set by others.  Imagine what would happen if you created the timeline by working ahead and being strategic about your farm - instead of being reactionary.  Water Street Solutions' Director of Development Dean Heffta talks about this topic with KRVN's Ken Rahjes.     

July 12 2010 Changing Your Decision Cycle for Better Strategy - Heffta.mp3 (3.39 mb)

A strong marketing strategy is not about having a crystal ball.  A good market advisor tracks the pieces of the economy and production that influence prices, but ultimately, no one can predict every market move.  History shows us that often good pricing opportunities come during the growing season.  Water Street Solutions Market Advisor Chip Nellinger talks here with KRVN's Ken Rahjes about marketing your crop during the growing season. 

July 6 2010 Marketing during THIS growing season Nellinger.mp3 (4.97 mb)

For the text of the interview, click here.  Marketing During THIS Growing Season

Marketing your crop is tough if you don't follow a strategy.  A good strategy involves knowing ahead of time what price you need to get out of the market because you know where you stand financially and what number you have to hit to handle your long term break evens, which include short term and long term debt, depreciation, family living expenses and profitability.  The next element that has to be in place is risk management.  KRVN's Ken Rahjes talks about this with Water Street Solutions' Market Advisor Chip Nellinger.

June 28 2010 Risk Management Key to Your Marketing Strategy.mp3 (4.58 mb)

For the text of the interview, click here:  Risk Management Key to Your Marketing Strategy

Profitable farming requires keeping a close eye on your financial metrics.  Return on Equity is a number that your banker is going to pay attention to.  Here Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions talks about this metric, and when it's a better number to watch.

For the text of the video, click here:  Understanding Return on Equity