Upcoming Ag Econ Programs
In an effort to keep Indiana farmers up to date on the ever changing agricultural economy, Purdue’s Center for Commercial Agriculture will be hosting several upcoming programs to help farmers navigate the tides. You can learn more about all of the programs mentioned below, including registration information, at the Center’s website: https://ag.purdue.edu/commercialag/home/
Quickly approaching, Purdue ag economists Michael Langemeier, Nathanael Thompson and James Mintert will host a free crop outlook webinar at 2:00 p.m. EST, December 11, 2020. The webinar will take place immediately following the release of USDA’s December Crop Production and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) reports and will include a reevaluation on profitability estimates for 2021. Registration is free. Participants will receive a confirmation email upon registration with a link to view the webinar live at its scheduled time. Those unable to join live can register to receive a follow-up email after the webinar to download the slides and view the recording.
The Center also announced that its annual Top Farmer Conference will be a free, virtual event this year. This year’s conference, scheduled for Friday, January 8 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm EST, will feature three of the nation’s top experts on the agricultural economy and include thoughtful, innovative breakout discussions. Topics will include the ag economy outlook from both a macro and consumer perspective, ag trade prospects and implications for farmland values. During the discussion breakout, you’ll have a chance to interact with other attendees and consider strategic responses to this challenging economic environment. Registration for the three-hour virtual conference is free. Space is limited to 300 participants. This conference will not be recorded. Registered participants will receive an email with a link to join the conference live at its scheduled time.
Also currently available on the site is an archive of videos to help improve crop marketing skills. The first two videos review the importance of understanding basis when marketing crops and how to use historical data to forecast basis. Subsequent videos detail how storage hedging can work to your advantage, provide a comparison of historical returns to both unpriced storage and storage returns and discuss using knowledge of seasonal patterns in corn futures prices and corn futures price spreads to improve returns.
Lastly, the website houses several popular publications including: Purdue’s Cash Rent Survey, Purdue’s Custom Farm Rate Survey, and the annual Crop Cost & Return Guide. If you would like a copy of one of these publications or have trouble navigating the website, please reach out to our office at 219-984-5115 or at awestfal@purdue.edu
