Water Street Solutions and Farm Progress Companies sponsored the Closing Learning Center Session Saturday at the 2010 Commodity Classic is Anaheim, CA.  The 2-hour panel discussion was a great opportunity for growers to learn things they do have control over on the financial end of their operation.  A summary of the contents of the session is posted today on Farm Progress web sites, and you can read it by clicking here.  In the coming weeks, video from this session will be shared here.

If you're coming to the Commodity Classic, you'll want to make sure to mark this session on your program.  At 1:30 on Saturday, March 6th, there's a panel discussion titled Controlling What You Can Control.  Arlan Suderman from Farm Futures Magazine told me that farmers come out in droves to attend an outlook seminar.  And he knows, because he gives them.  It's fun to talk about the factors impacting the markets.  But after a while it gets frustrating, because what can you really do about those factors?  Nothing.  During this session the focus will be on things where you can impact your profitability, simply by learning and tracking and knowing what numbers to watch and what to do with them once you've found them. 

       Max Armstrong                 Arlan Suderman                 Mike Jacobson                Tim Copeland                       Darren Frye

Max Armstrong (you've heard of him, right?) is hosting the session.  Our experts include:  Arlan Suderman, Market Analyst for Farm Futures Magazine; Mike Jacobson, Chairman, President and CEO of NebraskaLand National Bank; Tim Copeland, VP of Marketing at Great American Insurance and Darren Frye, CEO of Water Street Solutions. 

I'm sure you'll go home from this session energized about what you've learned and how it can help you take the financial reins of your operation.  If you can't be there with us, you'll be able to find information from the session on this web site.

You have less than a month now to put your ducks in a row when it comes to risk management through crop insurance.  Our Steve Jackson talks with KRVN's Ken Rahjes about recent changes in the program in Nebraska, and things to watch for when you're sitting down with your Crop Insurance Specialist.

February 15 2010 Crop Insurance Notes - Jackson.mp3 (1.14 mb)

Steve Johnson, Farm Management Specialist with Iowa State University is another Steve and another guy who spends a lot of his life thinking about crop insurance.  He told those attending the Top Producer Seminar recently that you need to work with an agent who KNOWS crop insurance.  It's safe to say you'll find that expertise here at Water Street Solutions.  Click here and you'll see what I mean.

It's not too late to enroll in the 2010 ACRE program, and Steve Johnson, Farm Management Specialist with Iowa State University says his strategy for the ACRE program would be to focus on farms where you want to plant soybeans.

To hear Steve Johnson comments, click here

Again, the enrollment deadline for the 2010 ACRE program is June 1st.  The grower's signature is required, along with the landowner's signature.  Johnson stresses that the ACRE program replaces the counter-cyclical government program, it does not replace crop insurance.  He says it's very complementary with crop insurance.  Johnson suggests that if we hadn't had a counter-seasonal rally in corn in October, November and December of 2009, there would have been Illinois, Iowa and Missouri farms generating $20 to $40 an acre in ACRE payments.

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)

If you're not currently on our mailing list, and you'd like to receive this publication, click here and send us a note to put your name on the list.  Be sure to include your mailing address.

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)

Grain and livestock marketing can seem a whole lot like gambling if you don't know what you're doing.  But it doesn't have to be that way.  Darren Frye talks to KRVN's Ken Rahjes about how we build marketing plans at Water Street Solutions and what a person needs to learn to manage risk and build profits.

Nov 23 2009 Whats Behind a Marketing Recommendation - Frye.mp3 (1.06 mb)

Pulling the Pieces Together:  Making a Difference for Farmer Profitability was the title of his presentation as Darren Frye addressed a workshop session at the American Bankers Association Ag Bankers Conference in San Antonio this morning. 

Darren addressed a packed room and kept them engaged as bankers seek to bring all possible resources to their ag customers.  He walked the group through why it's important to start with a financial analysis, best crop insurance strategies depending on the operation, and how to leverage marketing with financials and crop insurance for the best success.

Water Street Solutions likes to involve the banker in the work we do with our clients to make sure we're all on the same page and doing the best job for profitability.

Click here for new information from the RMA regarding this year's delayed harvest.