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Finances

Prospects for Swine Feed Costs in 2020

Recent trends in feed costs for farrow-to-finish and swine finishing enterprises, and projections for 2020.  Feed costs are expected to be similar to that experienced in 2019.  However, current projections have a wide band around them.

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Cattle Finishing Net Return Prospects for 2020

At the end of 2019, fed cattle prices were $122.00. This increase in fed cattle prices had a large impact on cattle finishing profitability in the fourth quarter of 2019. Moreover, fed cattle prices are predicted to remain strong through at least the second quarter of 2020.

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Swine Finishing Feed Cost Prospects

Corn prices have been quite volatile in 2019. Corn prices in Indiana were approximately $3.70 per bushel in April, $4.55 in July, and $3.90 in December. Given the uncertainty regarding what gets planted to large amount of acres that were not planted in 2019 (i.e., prevent plant acres), corn prices are likely to also be volatile in 2020.

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Trends in the Soybean to Corn Price Ratio

Using Indiana cash prices reported by USDA-NASS, the soybean to corn price ratio was quite variable in 2019 ranging from 1.93 in July to 2.37 in January. This leads to two important questions. How common or uncommon is it for this ratio to be substantially above or below the long-run average? Does a low or high ratio signal a change in the relative profitability between corn and soybeans?

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What Do Farmers Have to Say About the Ag Economy?

2019 Ag Policy Forum, hosted by the Indiana Soybean Alliance & Indiana Corn Growers Association in Noblesville, Indiana, presentation by James Mintert.

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The Incidence of Financial Stress on Kansas Farms

Though both having a negative profit margin and a debt to asset ratio over 0.70 are important determinants of financial stress, a high debt ratio explains the vast majority of the variation in financial stress over time.

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Crop Marketing & Farm Finance Workshops

Choose from 3 Indiana locations in February and March 2020 | Take part in a free workshop focused on helping improve farm profitability in 2020. Each workshop provides farmers an opportunity to improve both their crop marketing and financial management skill sets.

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Why Does my Lender Keep Talking About Working Capital?

Why is working capital so important in today’s environment?  To start with, working capital represents a farm’s first defense against financial stress.  When cash flow is tight or even negative, working capital can be used to cover the gap or shortfall.

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Measuring Financial Stress

Farms with low profitability and high solvency are typically financially stressed. This article uses the operating profit margin ratio and the debt to asset ratio to create a measure of financial stress.

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Should I Use an Annual or a Multi-Year Cropland Lease?

A vast majority of cropland leases are in effect for only one year. Multi-year leases provide incentives for tenants and landowners to invest in long-term improvements, maintain soil fertility, and encourage conservation practices.

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