A Grain Elevator Diagram: While they are in the news

I've been looking for a "inner workings" diagram of a garin elevator. Ta Da here it is!

Agircore commitee to consider SWP offer

Finance News:Investing - Sympatico/MSN Finance
At least they are not refusing outright.

Sinkhole at IMC Agrico Gypsum Stack, June 15, 1994:

Sinkhole at IMC Agrico Gypsum Stack, June 15, 1994
I had to post this because of the Disney line

ScienceDaily: Drought As The 'New Normal'

ScienceDaily: Drought As The 'New Normal'
I blogged this a couple of months ago. I just read it tonight and decided to post it.
We seem to be really easy going with global warming (if that's what's happening and it is being more accepted every day) This post addresses drought and how we adjust to it so easily.

Canola Council of Canada: August 05 to july 06 Crush

Canola Council of Canada
Crush Numbers:
05/06 crush - 3,423,000 tonnes

Canadian Canola Crushing Totals - 2003-04

Canadian Canola Crushing Totals - 2003-04

Crush numbers:
03/04 crush total - 3,389,000 tonnes
04/05 crush total - 3,032,000 tonnes

Farmcentre.com - The James Farm, Value added farming

Farmcentre.com - Farm management articles
This is more in the line of how big or small do you have to go. 5000 acres here and a lot of value added production.

The MNP employee (Terry Betker) farmed just east of our home farm. His brother still farms there and he stood up at my wedding.

Farmcentre.com - How big or small does a farm have to be?

Farmcentre.com - Farm management articles
I have a producer making it on 700 acres, so this caught my eye. Efficiency ratio is a good tool to judge your business, it's mentioned in this post

Market Talk: Cash Bids Strong For Canola

Market Talk: Cash Bids Strong For Canola
I curled a group of producers last night (lost) They mentioned it being easy to find over $7.00 bu cash for canola.

It's surprising to me that the price has to get higher than $7/bu to attract enough acres for 2007 and 2008. But that's what is said in this post and in others I've read

SWP and UA stock charts

You will have to click the charts to look at the stock charts

It's Your Business: Just a minute did he say $10 bu canola

It's Your Business
Optimism central.

Sask Wheat Pool Bid For Agricore United 'Bad News' For Farmers

Sask Wheat Pool Bid For Agricore United 'Bad News' For Farmers

Wow. I missed this yesterday.

If I was a Agricore share holder or a Sask.Pool shareholder (Wait a minute. I am on both counts) I would welcome the news. It could mean:

1. An instant rise in share price
2. The merger could create a healthy company

I've got lots of opinions on this news.

Why it should happen:

• Lets face it both companies are having trouble. AU had a 2% net margin this past year after years of losses. Not good. And SWP is still not in the black
• The farm supply and grain trade are going to contract ( get smaller) Margins are shrinking and companies are starting to outnumber farmers
• With CWB on the road out, big changes are going to happen with the grain trade in Canada. This large a company (market share) could have advantages
• It will make share holders money. (maybe)
• Like the article says somebody is going to go after SWP anyway.

Why the takeover will not happen:

• The post is right. Merger may not be good for farmers. ( Large multi-nationals controlling the grain trade in Canada, may not be good either. OH sorry! My practical side is showing)
• The post is right. ADM will have something to say in this. They are booming right now and are well positioned to prosper in the new Bio-fuel future. (if it plays out) I'm guessing a strong presence in Canada would benefit them.
• The Feds may step in to stop it. The post is right, 55% of the trade is serious (They want market forces to control wheat trade by getting rid of the Wheat Board. Darn I wasn't going to say any thing about the Wheat Board. Just ignore that)
• Share holders on both sides may not go along.
• SWP may get merged some other way.

Soil Moisture is Good?

% of normal map. You've likely seen this one. Manitoba is 40 to 60 % of normal

I've been doing some late soil test the last two days. The top is wet and the cores are moist to 8 in. (I'll do a 18in core tomorrow now that I've thought of it)
May one H20
Sloughts are a dry as I've seen them in the last 20 yrs.

Today got me thinking of posting some drought information for the prairies. This is the first time I've been in the Ag. Canada site on drought. Not bad, not as good a some of the USDA info., but still good.
Oct H20, starting to see some shortages
Some rain lately hopefully it helps.

Farms.com: Interview with Al Scholtz, "Best Practices of Leading FarmersPhase II"

Farms.com Swine Exchange, News, Auctions, and Commentary

Good project. I recognize some of the traits mentioned in the post in some of my producers.

I like this Quote:
" Failing to go Forward"
It doesn't mean what you think.

Old Iron: Six Classic Tractors

click the title for the tractor slides

$1.50 per lb off InVigor Canola Seed

I've had this on the desk for a week. It is a good deal if you could use Invigor 5108.

"InVigor 5108/Liberty Virtual Pack"

"Bayer CropScience has announced a Virtual Pak program for InVigor 5108 Canola Seed and Liberty valued at $7.50 per acre."

My math on this deal works out to $1.50 per lb. That's using a 5 lbs per acre seeding rate.

There has to be a catch you say?

The "catches" are as follows:

• Seed and Chemical (Liberty in this case) have to be purchased at the same outlet.
• InVigor 5108 while a good InVigor is not the best. Likely a 5 to 10% yield drag from the rest of the 5000 series. (109% of 45h21 in Bayer trials)

Why you might do this:

• Come on! It is $7.50 per acre savings
• With pricing I'm seeing you could be paying less than $5 per lb for a decent hybrid
• 5108 may fit for an early field for winter wheat planting in fall. It is 3 or 4 days earlier in trials
• An early field of 5108 could fit just to have off early or to beat the heat.

Farms.com - USDA Crop Report: news release

Farms.com - agriculture information, markets, auctions and commentary

Ferttilizer Price Chart

Click the link in the title for a chart on Fertilizr price. I've been looking for this kind of chart to post. Well! I found it!

Farms.com - Hog inventories are going to drop. The strong dollar and high feed costs starting to effect the hog sector

Farms.com - agriculture information, markets, auctions and commentary

Farmers find unlikely mix of large crop, high prices

Farmers find unlikely mix of large crop, high prices
More good news.

Ethanol industry boosting corn planting: Just where is this going? Other than up?

Ethanol industry boosting corn planting The chart shows another big spike in price. It's looking like corn acres will be big up next year, at cost to soybeans and some cotton. You know that mean higher price on the soy and canola oil side.

It kind of gets hard to fathom how good this might get for grain and oilseed farmers.

Power Point on Bio-Diesel

Canola Growers presentation on Bio-Diesel

Ethanol emergency - FORBES ARTICLE

Ethanol emergency - Sympatico / MSN Finance
This is accurate reporting. The initial rush into North America's ethanol markets and now a pull back is the pattern we are seeing.
A couple of numbers to watch are:

• US$3.50 per bu for corn is breakeven for ethanol
• US$35 per gallon for oil is the cost driver for ethanol

I also like the term "food fight" beauty

St. Simons Island, Georgia, History, Southern, Plantations, Colonial, GA

Grave on the island
Old lane into a plantation
Map
St. Simons Island, Georgia, History, Southern, Plantations, Colonial, GA
One of the great agricultural cultures was the southern United States plantations.
This is a great snapshot of how the culture started, grew, operated and finally it's death on St. Simons Island.

Turf, Forage and Legume Seed Market Update: October 20, 2006

Turf, Forage and Legume Seed Market Update: October 20, 2006

I have a few forage seed growers. The market looks good for them this year

A History of American Agriculture: 1930: Timeline on the Dustbowl

The 30's defined a lot of how my parents viewed the world and agriculture. The culture that developed from that is about gone now.
It's interesting to see hybrid corn introduction and the mention of co-operatives. I like 13% of homes having electricity
A History of American Agriculture: 1930

Welcome to TopCropManager.com!: I had to throw in a production article

Welcome to TopCropManager.com! Good seed rate article talking about plant counts and some dangers in going to low with canola rates

Allendale MARKET REPORT

This is interesting. My "Take away points":

• First time I've heard of "money flow" out of energy commodities.
• Again a mention of two years of price strength.
• DDG and soybean meal compared for price. First time I've heard that one.

Market Talk: Cash Oats Strong, Following Futures:

Market Talk: Cash Oats Strong, Following Futures
Trader talk on oat futures. Note in the chart the spike up in the last candlestick

Feed Grains rally:INFORMA REPORT CALLING FOR LEGS TO THE FEED GRAINS RALLY

Informa reports are good. This does call for a two year rally for feed grains. And explains the why. Good charts too

Agrium Q3 profit plunges to US$1 million in Q3 from US$72 million last year: Our bins were full

The stock price % chart is Agrium (CA.AGU) in blue and the other is Potash Corp of Sask(POT). Both show healthy one year price gains
Agrium Q3 profit plunges to US$1 million in Q3 from US$72 million last year
Agrium is a big player in wholesale and retail fertilizer. I read in this article some problems in it's potash business and some restructuring cost (They aquired Royster- Clark recently). I love the line "Fertilizer margins were compressed, due to sales of higher cost fertilizer inventory in what was generally a declining fertilizer market in the third quarter"
Loosely translated that means "we lost money because prices dropped $100/tonne, and we had a bunch of it"
I think these guys will be OK. They are doing the restucturing that's needed to stay profitable and be ready for a possible biofuel boom in ag.

Farm Business Communications: Low Canola seeding rates: Stick with the 5-pound rate

Farm Business Communications

I sold canola to a grower today and the topic of low seed rates came up. The post is an old article (2003), but it makes some good points about staying a 5 lb/ac.

My take is, with good hybrids aim for 4 to 4.5 but don't go under. On a bad year you will regret dropping rates. OP's or even many hybrids will have problems a lower rates on poor years

It's Your Business: $7 bu canola , $4 bu barley

It's Your Business

Nothing but a bright and sunny day, for Don Bousquet

WCE Weekly Outlook: Funds In Control

WCE Weekly Outlook: Funds In Control

More upside news in grain markets

I love the statement "that funds are in control" and they ignore a "huge South American soybean crop"

I reminds me of something my dad told me . "When doctors and lawyers start buying farm land, start selling to them. Because that is pretty much as high a price as you are going to get"

Optomistic Farmers: I can't believe the mood on the farm

After last fall's doom and gloom, prices and a decent crop are getting the happy back on the land. I've not seem anyone this optomistic for 5 yrs or so. Good operations will show decent margins and going forward prices look great.

My gut tells me after this crop we get two more years, but there is a chance this competition for production ( energy and food) will last longer.