October Leads Producers To Optimism

The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer landed at 135 in October, up three points from September. It represented the third-highest reading since data collection began two years ago. The improvement was driven by the Index of Future Expectations, which increased from 130 in September to 137 in October. The Index of Future Expectations is one of…

Better Decisions Without The Wait – How To Use In-Season Data For Crops

6 steps to use in-season data and improve your bottom line: better decisions without the wait.  As a modern farmer, you know how important it is to analyze your long-term field and crop trends. But don’t have to wait to accumulate years of data to make better decisions for your business. With real-time data, you…

Future Expectations Turn Lower

The Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer September reading of 132 was unchanged compared to August. The monthly measure of agricultural producer sentiment – which is based on a monthly survey of 400 U.S. producers of corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, beef cattle, dairy cattle, and hogs – has ranged between 130 and 139 over the last…

Are Ag Producers Financially Stronger?

U.S. ag producers feel financially stronger compared to 2016 Shared from: World Grain written: by Susan Reidy U.S. agricultural producers’ feel their operations’ financial positions are improved compared to a year ago, which has helped the Ag Economy Barometer hold steady for the past three months and remain well above levels recorded prior to November 2016….

Is Employee Training Educating the Uneducated?

Article From Cattle Network By Phil Durst, Michigan State University Extension With all the emphasis on employee development, has anybody considered the education level of many of the people who come looking for a job? Even as the education level of farm owners is rising, it is often apparent that the opposite may be true of…

How to keep up in the high-tech future of farming

As in every industry, technology is playing an increasing role in efficient farming operations. While technology can make your life easier, it can be hard to keep up with all the new best practices and tools that can help your business thrive. When you’re running a busy operation, reading your newest equipment manual probably isn’t…

Applying the lessons of precision agriculture to farm accounting

The benefits of precision agriculture are familiar to most farmers. With GPS technology powering specialized software and field equipment, you can make nuanced decisions about your field operations, saving you time and money. But what many farmers don’t know is that the same principles of precision agriculture can be applied to managing farm finances. Don’t…

Ag Barometer Webinar – March 2017

The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer slipped to 124 in March, marking the second month in a row that producer sentiment dropped below the prior month’s level. Recent weakness in the Barometer – which is based on a monthly survey of 400 agricultural producers from across the U.S. – followed a sharp improvement in…

Is accrual accounting better for your farm business?

Rethink Your Farm’s Financial Management From Farm Futures magazine featuring AgCompass partners John McNutt with Latta Harris LLP and Lance Fulton with Foreland Ag. Article written by: By Larry Stalcup You’ve taken advantage of better seed, better crop protectants and other technology to produce bin-busting yields. It looks like a great year. But without an expert…

Dramatic Improvement Shows On Ag Barometer

‘Barometer’ measures farmers’ growing optimism A national poll, gauging the sentiments of U.S. farmers, shows a dramatic improvement in their optimism, with polling numbers reaching record highs. The Purdue-Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group’s “Ag Economy Barometer” showed that agricultural producers had a much improved outlook following the November election. The recent monthly update of that…