If you ask a group of my friends to describe me using a handful of words, you will probably get a variety of answers, some of which I am proud of, and some others not fit for print (all in good humor though). One description that would probably come up a few times, of which I am generally proud of, is the word frugal. Frugal means to be economical with regards to money, or as I like to say “thrifty”. Growing up on a small beef and hay operation in the foothills of Appalachia, we didn’t have much of a choice other than to be thrifty when it came to farming. Still to this day the only new piece of farm equipment my father has ever owned was a four-basket hay tedder that he purchased some 15 years ago. In our farming operation low cost and efficiency was the name of the game, especially when it came to raising forage. The goal was to maximize quality and yield at low costs. Continue reading
Budgets
2018 Fertilizer Prices Turn Higher
By: David Widmar, Agricultural Economic Insights
In a post from October, we reviewed fertilizer price trends and noted prices, especially for anhydrous ammonia, had continued lowers. Over the last four years, the relevant budget question has been “how much lower” will fertilizer prices be for the upcoming year. While reduced fertilizer prices in 2018 seemed possible just a few months ago, recent data – based on the USDA’s reported fertilizer prices from Illinois – show fertilizer prices have turned higher for 2018. Continue reading