Commercial Agriculture

I recently read an article in an ag publication entitled, “Are the Black Swans Flying?” Each day, there seems to be another article or podcast that talks about the current low commodity price – high input cost economic squeeze of grain farmers. The Federal Reserve Banks of Chicago, Kansas City, and...

According to a recent survey of the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ISPFMRA) membership, the share of the different types of farmland leases are: 25% share rent9% modified share rent25% cash rent35...

In August, my office phone lights up with calls from farmland owners wanting to know about the direction of cash rent values for farms here in east-central Illinois. This is never easy to answer because no one can accurately forecast the future. Currently, we are looking for average to above yields...

A recent article by Mike Stanton, soybean Extension educator at Michigan State University, does a nice job of discussing the possible effects of sub-freezing...

Stored grain should be kept at or near 35°F according to the experts. But over the past month in Central Illinois, the average daily temperature has varied 44°F – from a high daily average of 52° F to a low of 8°F. Moisture in a filled grain bin moves from the warmed grain near the outside wall to...