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.

Learn More

Search our entire resource library

You're viewing a specific archive. Looking for something and want to search by keyword or just take a general look at ALL our resources? Click Search below!

General Farm Management & Strategy

Conventional & Organic Enterprise Net Returns, FINBIN data from 2019 to 2023

This article summarizes net returns for conventional and organic crop enterprises using FINBIN data from 2019 to 2023. Organic corn and soybean enterprises had lower crop yields, higher crop prices and gross revenue, and higher net returns. However, there was a much wider difference in enterprise net returns among organic corn and soybean enterprises than there was among conventional corn and soybean enterprises.

Corn Was King: The Transition to Soy in U.S. Production Agriculture

Margaret Lippsmeyer presented during agri benchmark’s 2024 annual conference in mid June, which was hosted by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture in Valladolid, Spain. An increase in soybean acreage may come from either (a) shifting away from continuous corn rotations to corn-soy and (b) shifting corn-soy rotations toward corn-soy-soy. Based on agri benchmark data, Margaret showed that option (a) would require an increase in soybean prices of 6% and option (b) of 8% to make these rotations preferable over existing ones.

Farmer Sentiment Drifts Lower on Weaker Future Expectations

Farmer sentiment drifted downward in June as the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer reading of 105 was 3 points lower than a month earlier. The overall decline in sentiment was due to a five-point drop in the Index of Future Expectations, which fell to 112, while the June Current Conditions Index increased to 90, 1 point higher than the May index. High input costs, the risk of lower prices for their products, and rising interest rates continue to weigh on farmer sentiment.

Farm Retirement & Succession Preparedness

Brady Brewer is joined by Dr. Maria Marshall and Renee Wiatt to discuss the findings of a recent survey conducted across the Midwest, examining the readiness of farm families to transition their businesses to the next generation. The conversation highlights the challenges and emotional complexities involved, emphasizing the importance of early planning and open communication to ensure both the business’s sustainability and the family’s cohesion.

Farmer Sentiment Recovers in May; Interest in Solar Leasing Rising

U.S. farmers’ outlook improved in May as the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer index rose to 108, marking a 9-point increase from April. Purdue ag economist James Mintert shares some insight into the results of the ay 2024 Ag Economy Barometer survey on this Purdue Commercial AgCast episode.

Managing Strategic Risks on Your Farm

Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture recorded a series of short podcasts and accompanying videos to help agricultural producers improve their strategic risk management skills. Farms are exposed to strategic risks that are caused by a wide variety of unanticipated shocks to the operating environment ranging from government policy shifts to disease outbreaks.

Key Resources

Advancements in production agriculture continue to accelerate making the business environment more complex and creating a significant need for a forward-thinking mindset. Develop an integrated risk management approach and build a strategic plan now.

Farmer sentiment declines to lowest level since June 2022 amid weakened financial outlook

Farmer sentiment declined sharply in April, as indicated by the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, which fell 15 points from March to a reading of 99. Purdue ag economist James Mintert shares some insight into the results of the April 2024 Ag Economy Barometer survey on this Purdue Commercial AgCast episode.

Navigating Farm Loan Interest Rates

Host Brady Brewer, accompanied by guests Dr. Jennifer Iftt, Dr. Noah Miller, and Dr. Gerald Mashange, explore how agricultural loan interest rates vary among lenders. In this Purdue Commercial AgCast episode, they unpack a series of recent FarmDoc articles dissecting the nuances of interest rates in ag loans across various groups of lenders, geographic regions, and different types of farms.

Farmer sentiment improves as interest rate expectations shift

U.S. farmers’ perspective on the future improved in March helping to push the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer up 3 points from February to a reading of 114. Purdue ag economists James Mintert and Michael Langemeier share some insight into the results of the March 2024 Ag Economy Barometer survey on this Purdue Commercial AgCast episode.

Center for Commercial Agriculture