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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Crop Margins in a Boom-Moderation Price Cycle

A glance at a chart of commodity prices over say 100 or more years reveals periods of surging prices followed by a period of moderation in prices. Once prices moderate, they may stay relatively low for an extended time. Some have observed that this total cycle may be around 30 years, with the boom-moderation phase lasting 12 to 15 years.

Crop Outlook for 2015-2016

Recorded September 14, 2015 | Outlook for corn and soybeans following USDA’s Sept. 2015 Crop Production & Supply/Demand Reports. Features review of factors influencing prices and provides marketing & management recommendations. Program features Purdue Economists Chris Hurt, Corinne Alexander & James Mintert.

Buying (Selling) Inputs in the Current Business Climate

Grain farmers are facing significantly lower prices and incomes in 2015 compared to previous years which have resulted in intense pressure to lower costs by aggressive negotiation on land rents and purchased inputs. Much of this negotiation has focused on price–farmers are asking/expecting price reductions, but suppliers of fertilizer seed and chemicals in particular are hesitant to adjust prices down.

Becoming a “Best in Class” Farm

Corn Belt agriculture is in the midst of transitioning from one of the most profitable periods on record to what could be an extended period of tight margins for most corn and soybean operations. Now that the 2015 planting season is drawing to a close, you should take time to reevaluate your farming operation and consider how you can make sure your farm is strategically positioned to be a “best in class” operation in the years ahead. Doing so will help ensure that your farm will thrive, not just survive, in an era of tight operating margins.

How Do You Win In Tough Times?

Recorded January 23, 2015 | Management strategies that you can put in place now to help your farm deal with the pressure of low profitability in the crop sector. Purdue Economists Michael Langemeier and Jim Mintert discuss the “Best in Class” strategies which will help position your farm for success now and in the years ahead.

Structural Change in Agriculture: Implications for the Farming Sector

The global food and agribusiness industry is in the midst of major changes – changes in product characteristics, in worldwide distribution and consumption, in technology, in size and structure of firms in the industry, and in geographic location of production and processing.

Renegotiating Fixed-Price Hog Production Contracts

Production contracts have become a popular mechanism for coordinating hog production.Some of these contracts are based on a fixed price for Segregated Early Weaned (SEW) pigs. Others are contractual arrangements to lease grow-out facilities on a fixed-price-per-pig basis or on cost-plus contracts. Large price changes can render such contracts untenable for one or the other party.

Center for Commercial Agriculture