With summer approaching, it’s time to consider the Dual-Purpose Annual Forage Insurance Program for our next season’s wheat operations (deadline: July 15). The program has shown long-term positive results for wheat producers in many places in Texas. In today’s blog, we’ll discuss the features and advantages of this program, highlighting how it can benefit farmers across the state. [Read more…] about High Plains Ag Week – 5/31/23 – Dual-Purpose Annual Forage Insurance Program
High Plains Ag Week – 5/17/23 – May WASDE Review
Last week, USDA released its May WASDE report which includes USDA’s first projections for the 2023/24 crop year. Today we will review what this report has to say about wheat, corn, sorghum, and cotton this year.
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High Plains Ag Week – 5/3/23 – Machinery Management
The costs associated with owning and operating machinery represent a large proportion of the total production costs for many farm operations. In this post, we will look at the costs associated with machinery ownership as well as the options available to farm managers for obtaining access to machinery services.
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High Plains Ag Week – 4/26/23 – Program Cattle
Are you looking to market your calves in a “program cattle” but unsure if the added costs outweigh the benefits? Today, we will discuss the potential benefits of implementing these programs in your operation and how you can evaluate whether it fits you well. [Read more…] about High Plains Ag Week – 4/26/23 – Program Cattle
High Plains Ag Week – 4/19/2023 – Basis and How to Manage It
In this post, we look at commodity basis and discuss how understanding a commodity’s basis can help you as you develop a marketing plan.
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High Plains Ag Week – 4/12/2023 – Wheat Grain Alternatives
Dryland wheat grain and forage conditions in our area are different from what we were expecting in many cases. The Wheat and Small Grain Decision Aids will help you analyze the best alternative for your wheat fields according to your expected yields, production costs, equipment, and other variables.  [Read more…] about High Plains Ag Week – 4/12/2023 – Wheat Grain Alternatives
High Plains Ag Week – 4/5/2023 – An Introduction to Carbon Credits and Carbon Markets
Carbon markets have been a trendy topic lately and present producers with a potential new revenue source for their operation. This post briefly describes the basics of what carbon credits are and how carbon markets/contracts are structured. At the end of the post, I provide a set of links to additional articles that provide a more in-depth discussion of some of the legal and economic considerations related to carbon contracts.
High Plains Ag Week – 3/29/2023 – A Look at the 2023 Cow-Calf Budget
The 2023 crop and livestock budgets for District 3 are posted, and the budgets are available for all districts on the AgriLife Extension Agricultural Economics website. Today, we look at the expected costs and returns from the Cow-Calf budgets in the Rolling Plains.
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High Plains Ag Week – 3/22/2023 – Macroeconomic Trends and Their Impacts on Farmers
Macroeconomic Trends and Their Impacts on Farmers
Changes in both the U.S. and global macroeconomic environments can have a significant impact on the bottom line of farms and ranches. For this reason, it is important to be aware of changes in the macroeconomy and to consider how these changes might affect your operation.
High Plains Ag Week – 3/15/2023 – Building a Profitable Ranch Business
Building a Profitable Ranch Business – Beef Cattle Standard Performance Analysis
One of the most essential responsibilities in our businesses is to ensure the economic sustainability of our companies for the future of our business or future generations. Most ranchers have suffered multiple years of low margins due to market prices below the average total economic cost of production. Even today, with a much better prices outlook than a year ago, breakeven prices are still high for most cow-calf operations.
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