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

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)

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

You can see progress in the field throughout the growing season - but when it comes to the business part of farming, that's sometimes a little harder to measure -- unless you're getting a report card.  Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions talk here with KRVN's Ken Rahjes about what's on this "financial report card" and how to use it in propelling your business to the next level.

June 21 2010 The Importance of a Report Card.mp3 (5.14 mb)

For the text of the interview, click here:  The Importance of a Report Card

As you dive into the business metrics of agriculture, you start tracking Return on Assets and Return on Equity.  Whether you own or rent the land that you farm determines your target numbers in these categories.  In this video, Arlan Suderman of Farm Futures and Mike Jacobson talk through some of these issues.  If you have four minutes, you might just learn something new.

For the text of this segment, click here:  Renting Vs Owning Land and the Impact on ROA and ROE

The price tag is usually high when we're talking about shopping for the farm.  We buy equipment, land, storage buildings, make tiling and irrigation improvements.  Purchases on any of these items should made after some serious thought about the impact on the farm -- both the workings of the farm and the future capital position.  KRVN's Ken Rahjes talks with Water Street Solutions' President and CEO Darren Frye about this topic.

June 14 2010 Is This Purchase Feasible - Frye.mp3 (4.33 mb)

For the text of the interview, click here:  Is This Purchase Feasible

We talk a lot here about the importance of having a financial analysis for your farm.  Let's address whether that's something you can do on your own.  Since we're somewhat biased in this particular discussion, we turn the microphone over the Mike Jacobson, a banker from North Platte, Nebraska.  His comments come from a panel discussion a few months ago that focused on controlling what you can control in the success of your farming operation.  It's a short video, just a little over two minutes that you can watch by clicking here.

For the text of this segment, click here:  Should You Do Your Financials on Your Own