Nebraska FARMcast - Farm and Ranch Management

While high levels of price volatility in a rising market enhance the emotion associated with the grain marketing decision, price volatility also brings opportunity. Taking advantage of the opportunity requires discipline in the marketing decision. Jessica Groskopf and Cory Walters highlight the role of expected revenue in relation to production costs in making the grain marketing decision as well...

Growing a farm or ranch business goes beyond producing the most bushels or pounds. Operators who are profitable are more likely to control the fate of their business and achieve longevity through a balanced management approach. But this requires discipline and knowledge, according to Matt Stockton, an agricultural economist with Nebraska Extension, based at the West Central Research Extension and...

Marilyn Schlake, an extension educator with Rural Prosperity Nebraska and Nebraska Extension, discusses how rural communities can evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses to best equip themselves for the future. Read more at https://cap.unl.edu .

The volatility in grain prices, coupled with recent natural disasters that have impacted yield and prices, illustrate the importance of considering financially devastating outcomes and having effective risk management strategies in place to avoid them. Kara Zimmerman, a master’s student in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, recently defended her thesis...

After a cooperative grocery has been successfully organized and opened, the next step is ensuring smooth operations. Boards of directors at cooperatives can often times find themselves struggling to identify the basic questions they need to answer to help the co-op be successful — especially if they have limited business experience. The Nebraska Cooperative Development Center here at UNL offers tr...

Ag carbon contracts are getting a lot of interest among farmers and ranchers. But what do they actually say and how much can a farmer actually earn? Joining to discuss what to look for and expect in carbon contracts is Dave Aiken, a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at UNL.

When it comes time to harvest fields, there are different arrangements across Nebraska. Many farmers and landlords turn to custom operators. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Custom Rates report provides market rate information on many kinds of custom work performed across the state. Glennis McClure, a farm and ranch management analyst at UNL, discusses setting harvest rates, calculating field...

With: Elliott Dennis, Assistant Professor of Livestock Economics; Eric Thompson, Karl H. Nelson Associate Professor of Economics and Director, Bureau of Business Research; and Ellie Foral, undergraduate research student — all with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The authors of a new report of the potential economic impact of expanding dairy processing in Nebraska presented their findings in an...

Applications for the Annual Forage Insurance Program are due by July 15th. With forecasts calling for a dry period that could stretch into late fall, both crop and livestock producers who are considering the benefits of annual forages may look to the program as a means of managing the precipitation risk that comes with planting. Plus, changes to the program to benefit winter wheat producers. ...

Becky Vogt is the Survey Research Manager with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Rural Poll.  With nearly one half of Nebraska farms running some kind of livestock or poultry operation, animal agriculture continues to play a critical role in the state’s economy. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s 2020 Nebraska Rural Poll examined rural Nebraskans’ connection to animal agriculture, along...

John Westra is a professor and program leader in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  Many have heard a lot lately about carbon markets, but carbon sequestration is only one of a larger set of ecosystem goods and services that can be generated in agriculture. Westra discusses other kinds of agricultural practices that can have a positive impact on h...

Jim Jansen is an agricultural economist and extension educator with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  The value of non-irrigated cropland in the central Plains region of the U.S. rose between an average of 5 and 10 percent in the first quarter of this year, compared to 2020, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Jansen covers the reasons behind this and what he expects for...

Erin Borror is an economist with the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Elliott Dennis is an assistant professor and livestock economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  They recap a June 3 webinar that Borror presented on the global demand for U.S. red meat, how exports are impacting livestock and meat markets and how the COVID-19 pandemic has imp...

Dave Aiken is a professor and agricultural law and water specialist in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  President Biden has proposed that 30% of U.S. land should be conserved by 2030 — the so-called "30x30 plan." The "Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful" report, issued in May, identified early actions that could be taken to approach t...

Elliott Dennis is an assistant professor and livestock economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  The monthly Cattle on Feed Report, produced by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, provides data on the number of cattle and calves on feed, placements, marketing, and other disappearance. Dr. Dennis explains some common critical...

Cindy Houlden is a cooperative development specialist with the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. On the surface, a cooperative grocery store may look no different from any local market, with aisles of food, perishable departments and checkout registers. But, behind the scenes, cooperatives are not run like a typical grocery store. They are owned and con...

Cory Walters is a grain marketing specialist and Jessica Groskopf is an agricultural economist. Both are with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Given the high levels of commodity prices write now, what should a good marketing plan look like to ensure farm survival? F Farmers have seen volatile markets and upward moving prices in the past. However, the 2021 commodity marketing environment is not...

Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel is an extension specialist with Rural Prosperity Nebraska.  When it comes to the important work of recruiting new residents to move to rural communities, the people who currently live there have an essential role to play in telling the local story, even though they may not realize how important their personal networks are. Find out more in her article on the subject at...

Cheryl Burkhart Kriesel is an extension specialist with Rural Prosperity Nebraska. When it comes to the important work of recruiting new residents to move to rural communities, the people who currently live there have an essential role to play in telling the local story, even though they may not realize how important their personal networks are.

Jessica Groskopf is an agricultural economist with Nebraska Extension, based in the state's Panhandle region. An important step in the record-keeping process and one that shouldn’t be skipped is reconciling. The process is worth the time to ensure that all records associated with a financial account are consistent with each other. Groskopf explains reconciliation and its importance in farm and ran...

Tina Barrett is a farm financial consultant and director of Nebraska Farm Business, Inc. With so many things constantly changing for farm producers, it is important to be prepared to make decisions. Barrett offers tips for farmers and ranchers and discusses what they should be paying attention to right now to best prepare to make quality decisions quickly.

With Brad Lubben, associate professor and extension policy specialist, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As commodity prices have risen in recent months, so have farm income expectations, driven by these rebounds in market prices as well as recent government assistance paid to cover losses associated with weather disasters, trade conflicts and COVID-19 disruptio...

Elliott Dennis is an assistant professor of livestock marketing in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Approximately 35 percent of the total land area in the continental U.S. is used for livestock grazing. Fluctuations in grazed land areas and cow herd density can be seen across the diverse regions of the country’s geography, with beef cow herds tended t...

With Dave Aiken, professor and agricultural law and water specialist, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  Aiken provides an overview of the types of problem-solving courts, how they function as alternatives to jail time and what how their cost compares to incarcerating alleged offenders.

With: Brad Lubben, Nebraska Extension Policy Specialist, and Cathy Anderson, Nebraska USDA Farm Service Agency Production and Compliance Section Chief.  Farmers and ranchers may have heard of the Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative, the American Rescue Act Plan and the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. All have been in the news, but what do each of them mean for Nebraska’s produce...