December 28, 2022

Production Risk Management & Contingency Planning

In this second episode of a new series on Farm Risk Management, Jenna Nees, Ed Farris, and Michael Langemeier join Brady Brewer to discuss contingency planning for production risk. Minimizing risk through management practices, reducing production variability, and managing ways to transfer some of the production risk should be reevaluated every year. Implementing diversification, flexibility, vertical integration, and new technology while managing costs can help migrate risk for farms and agribusiness’. Having a written contract in place for production and marketing as well as carrying insurance are important strategies to transfer risk to a third party.

A Production Risk Checklist pdf can be found below.

Additional Resources:

Human Resource Checklist

 

This series is based on the Six Pillars of Farm Risk Management course, funded by the North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center. More information on contingency planning is on the Purdue Institute for Family Business’ website, https://purdue.ag/fambiz, under the Strategic Business Planning Focus Area tab.

TAGS:

TEAM LINKS:

RELATED RESOURCES

Adoption of Conservation Practices and Farm Goals

July 29, 2025

How do farm goals shape conservation decisions? This analysis draws on a nationwide survey of 400 producers to explore how priorities like profitability, risk, and sustainability impact the adoption of practices like no-till, cover crops, and crop diversification. Farmers who rank conservation as a top goal are significantly more likely to implement these practices—offering a window into what drives long-term thinking in farm management.

READ MORE

Farm Goals

July 23, 2025

One-third of recently surveyed farmers identified farm transfer as their top goal, but priorities like profit, conservation, debt reduction, and income stability also ranked high. The study reveals that most farms pursue a mix of goals, and understanding the tradeoffs between them can lead to better long-term business decisions. Take time to define your farm’s goals—and use them to shape long-term business decisions.

READ MORE

The Role of Technology in Improving Farm Profitability | Commodity Classic 2025

March 12, 2025

Each year, numerous emerging technologies claim to boost your production, reduce input usage, or streamline your farm’s operations. However, the effectiveness of these technologies varies across different farms. Purdue ag economists James Mintert, Michael Langemeier, and Chad Fiechter examined how technology affects long-term farm growth and profitability, and share insights from farm financial records and farmer surveys during their 2025 Commodity Classic Learning Center Session on March 4, 2025. Watch the recording now!

READ MORE

UPCOMING EVENTS

Purdue Flexible Lease Workshop

September 16 at 7 pm or September 23 at 9 am

The Flexible Lease virtual Workshop, presented by the Purdue Extension Land Lease Team, will include a presentation and discussion to help you decide if a flexible land lease arrangement is right for your farm.

Read More