There are more opportunities for profit if you just look closely.  Chip Nellinger talks with Tom Steever from the Brownfield Network about the places to look, in this report.

The latest crop insurance newsletter is on its way out to you.  If you'd like a sneak peek, take a look at it here. 

Crop Ins Newsletter January 2010.pdf (1.63 mb)

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Have you thought about what to resolve for 2010?  How about making your resolutions something that can improve your farming business?  This week Dean Heffta talks with KRVN's Ken Rahjes about a couple of resolutions that might work well for you.  1)  Controlling What You Can Control  2)  Starting with Succession Planning. 

Dec 28 2009 New Years Resolutions - Heffta.mp3 (1.15 mb)

You may not think about business books helping you to build your farming operation, but there's really no reason that the same principles wouldn't apply.  This week Jason Ladman talks with KRVN's Ken Rahjes about a business book that he's recently finished, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by John C. Maxwell.  Many of the lessons can make you think about how you're going about your business, and some things you might change about your day to day activities. 

Dec 21 2009 Laws of Leadership on the Farm - Ladman.mp3 (1.39 mb)

As we tie up the loose ends on 2009, it's a good time to evaluate the year and appreciate the lessons we've learned and also find where we can do better next year.  From a farm profit standpoint, there are four common places where farmers are leaving money on the table...four areas where we could be finding more profit.  These include production, crop insurance, marketing and expenses.  Three of the four of these fall right into the core of our business.  Chip Nellinger talks with KRVN's Ken Rahjes about how to get more money out of your operation by looking at these four areas.

Dec 14 2009 More Room for Profitability - Nellinger.mp3 (2.55 mb)

If at the end of the year your long term break evens are too high to find an opportunity in the market for sales, then it's time to go back to the drawing board and look at expenses.  One of the easy places to find some of those spending cuts could be in the area of machinery.  During the Farm Progress Show, our Joe Delheimer talked with Willie Vogt from Farm Progress about this concept.  The video has now been posted, and we'd like to share it with you.  Click here to watch the video.

Even in the current grim economy, a good plan can lead to commodity marketing success, according to Darren Frye.  He talked with Brownfield's Tom Steever about the economy and the opportunities that still exist.  Listen to Tom's report here.

This month Farm Industry News takes a look at the prospect of inflation in our future, and some strategies farmers should consider in preparing for it.  The article by Mark Moore quotes Darren Frye and other economists.  Advice ranges from the safe harbor in land investments to planning ahead on inputs.