Top Farmer Conference: January 10, 2025

As one of the most successful and longest-running management programs specifically crafted for farmers, the Purdue Top Farmer Conference is a one-day event for agricultural producers and agribusiness professionals looking to navigate the complexities of today's agricultural landscape. Participants will have the opportunity to network with peers and hear from farm management experts and agricultural economists from Purdue, Farm Credit Services of America, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Acres, a land value data analytics company.

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Purdue Commercial AgCast Podcast

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Audio Recording

Financial Risk Management & Contingency Planning

March 2, 2023
Purdue Commercial AgCast Podcast

Farming is never the same from year to year – sometimes prices are good, net farm income is high, and other times margins are tight. Planning ahead, or contingency planning for financial hardship is important for any farm operation. How to evaluate farm financials, update financial statements, analyze performance, and when borrowing makes sense.

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Making Your 2023 Crop Insurance Decision

February 24, 2023
Crop Insurance 2023 Decision text with James Mintert and Michael Langemeier's photos in front of a corn field at sunset used as thumbnail image for video of Purdue Commercial AgCast podcast episode

Now is a great opportunity for producers to review their crop insurance choices for the upcoming season. Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture’s ag economists Michael Langemeier and James Mintert walk participants through key considerations for their 2023 insurance options. In particular, they discuss a handy thumb rule to use when considering an increase in coverage levels for RP insurance.

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Marketing Risk Management & Contingency Planning

February 23, 2023
Purdue Commercial AgCast Podcast

Product, price, place, and promotion are important in marketing to current and potential buyers. In this episode, a continuation of the Farm Risk Management podcast series, Ariana Torres, Renee Wiatt, and Jenna Nees join Brady Brewer to discuss contingency planning for marketing risk management. 

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Social Media Risk Management & Contingency Planning

February 16, 2023
Purdue Commercial AgCast Podcast

Farms and agribusinesses are confronted by many different types of risk in today’s market, including social media. In this third episode in the Farm Risk Management podcast series, Purdue University’s Jenna Nees, Renee Wiatt and Ariana Torres join Brady Brewer to discuss social media’s impact on businesses and how to build a contingency plan to protect your farm.

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February Corn & Soybean Outlook Update

February 10, 2023

Recorded February 10 | Purdue agricultural economists Nathanael Thompson, Michael Langemeier, and James Mintert discussed the corn and soybean outlook following USDA’s February World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report and provided implications for crop marketing strategies.

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Thinking Like A CFO for Your Farm Operation

February 10, 2023

A farm manager who thinks like a CFO can leverage balance sheet and cash flow information to develop accrual income, sources and uses of funds, and owner’s equity statements which can be used to ensure the farm is well positioned for the future. Join Purdue ag economists Michael Langemeier and James Mintert for an episode discussing why you should think like a CFO for your farm operation.

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Improvement In Farmer Sentiment Carries Over Into 2023

February 7, 2023
Purdue Commercial AgCast Podcast, Ag Economy Barometer Insight

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index rose again in January, to a reading of 130, 4 points above its 2022 year-end index value. The January survey results also pushed the index 34% above its 2022 low point which occurred last June.

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Importance of Crop Basis when Marketing Grain

February 2, 2023

Basis is an important component for crop producers to consider when marketing grain because it is used to convert the futures price to a local cash equivalent. Futures prices and basis follow different seasonal patterns so the ability to manage futures price risk and basis risk independently creates an opportunity to improve returns. Join Purdue ag economists and co-creators of the Purdue Crop Basis Tool, Nathan Thompson and Jim Mintert for an episode discussing the advantages of using the Center’s Crop Basis Tool.

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How Much Have Eggs & Other Food Prices Risen?

January 26, 2023
Purdue Commercial AgCast Podcast

With egg prices up nearly 75% and grocery bills on the rise, Jayson Lusk joins Brady Brewer to discuss food price inflation on this AgCast episode. Although food prices have been on the rise since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, certain grocery items have risen more than others. Jayson, Director of the Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability (CFDAS), shares why many livestock producers are scaling back, the effects of supply chain issues, and how food inflation is affecting consumer spending and preferences.

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2023 Top Farmer Conference Recap: Interest Rates

January 19, 2023
Purdue Commercial AgCast Podcast

In this episode, Purdue’s Brady Brewer was joined by Michael Langemeier, associate director of Purdue’s Center for Commercial Agriculture and Jason Henderson, senior associate dean of Purdue’s College of Agriculture and professor of agricultural economics. The podcast episode was a follow-up to the panel discussion the group had at the 2023 Purdue Top Farmer Conference focused on the U.S. economy, the Federal Reserve’s policy choices in 2023 and what it means for interest rates and the farm economy.

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