had the superfecta once again on #preakness. #illhaveanother & #bodemeister are looking like affirmed and alydar. Triple Crown winner maybe! -- Jordyn Burco (@JordynB27)
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Truth
74% of people donating to #HSUS think they rescue pets. Time to change name to "Vegan Lawyers and Lobbyists Society"? http://t.co/7RWeEslI -- Jude Capper (@Bovidiva)
Friday, May 18, 2012
Weather Prediction
The 3-month forecast is not definitive, but gives little support to the notion of a US corn yield exceeding 162BPA http://t.co/whx5Dxsy -- Elwynn Taylor (@ElwynnTaylor)
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Heartland Acres
Independence's #Agribition will soon welcome its 200,000th visitor. Have you been there yet? Worth the trip! http://t.co/ifH1Zl9x #IowaAg -- Bill Northey (@BNorthey)
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Our Reply: That's funny Jon!
Rudolphi's Burning Feedback
Love Rob's new column!! Keep up the good work!... from Neal Beck- Buchanan County, IA
NE Iowa Planting Update
Finally finished corn yesterday. SB will be done by end of the week. Over 5 weeks between first and last planting this year... -- Kyle Mehmen (@mbsfamilyfarms)
Preakness Stakes Post Positions
Bodemeister, post 7 & set at 8-5! Derby winner I'll Have Another, 5-2, breaks from post 9. Cheer on our Derby winner in the Preakness! -- Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby)
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Rudolphi's Burning Feedback
Another good blog post this week - or maybe last - i just read it tonight.
I sent Rob a note too, but I also enjoyed the first edition of Rudolphi's burning. Good stuff! Keep it up!...from Jessica Reis on the road
I sent Rob a note too, but I also enjoyed the first edition of Rudolphi's burning. Good stuff! Keep it up!...from Jessica Reis on the road
Estate Planning for Farmers
I know you have had some great luck with the blog and really enjoy reading it. I have attached a quick read that I have found many farmers to have interest in when it comes to estate planning, and how to plan now with land values so high. If you feel it’s worth getting out there, feel free to use it. No big deal if not.
Have a great day,
Mitch
Mitchell J Peyton
115 E Main St PO Box 230
Manchester, IA 52057
(O) 563-927-2208 (F) 563-927-2209 (C) 563-920-5765
mitch.peyton@nmfn.com
From East Central Iowa COOP
Hearing stories of insect larvae damaging corn. With the mild winter we had you may need to scout a little more often. -- ECI COOP (@ECI_COOP)
Solution...
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Rudolphi's Burning Feedback
Nicely done Rod, it was a good read...from Nick Fitzgerald- Polk County, IA
Rudolphi's Burning Feedback
S.E.A. Report is out! http://t.co/BP2OIUWV ▸ Top stories today via @newscoffeeshop @kansasdeptofag @uw_lsc @kansfarmer @iowapublicradio -- Nicki Gordon-Coy (@FarmGirl44615)
Fun Fact
Before we put this crop in the bin some fun facts: On pace for 3rd warmest May since 1895 in IL, Indiana and Iowa. -- Jason Britt (@jasonlbritt)
Rudolphi's Burning- May 2012
Rudolphi's Burning on
News From The Coffee Shop
May 15, 2012 7:31 AM
The mission of the column is to advocate agriculture, entertain (provided that you are entertainable), serve as a catalyst for critical thinking, and challenge the status quo amongst the agricultural community.
OFFENSE and DEFENSE
Throughout my professional career, I have been involved in sales as well as production agriculture.
The similarities between the two are striking. There is the need to know and understand your market place, the importance of pre-planning and thinking ahead, and the ever important ability to put that plan into action at the critical and opportune time—the ability to “strike while the iron is hot” so to speak.
However, the stark difference between the world of sales (and the rest of the business world that functions on God’s green earth) and production agriculture is the view and animosity between competition in the marketplace.
In sales and industry it is all about MARKETSHARE. We strive everyday to offer a better, more innovative, or more competitively priced product or service to our customers than does our competition. Likewise competitive companies focus their efforts in the same place, and we routinely go to battle each and every day to gain new business and even take business away from our competitors. It’s expected; we embrace it, and accept this as an ethical means of doing business in a competitive marketplace.
In production agriculture this is seldom the case. Under most circumstances we tip-toe around our neighbors and competitors, respecting their landowner-tenant relationships without challenging the market or advocating our individual businesses. Now, in recent years this has changed somewhat, but routinely producers who advocate for more acres to expand their business at the risk of displacing the current tenants and operators are viewed as cutthroat tyrants because they have the audacity to challenge the system and upset the proverbial applecart. If a producer rents a farm away from another, in many cases this aggressive producer would fall under less local scrutiny had they kidnapped their first born child, and burned down their house!
Never is this more the case than when shirt tail (or not so shirt tail) relation is involved. Let’s consider the following scenario:
Farmer A has rented 200 acres from their Great Aunt Ethel for the past 20 years. Over time a relationship has been developed, and favors such as snow removal have been performed routinely as “part of the rent” to go along with cash payment that has escalated to a whopping $175/acre. Above all Farmer A has grown somewhat complacent and developed a feeling of “entitlement” to farming Ethel’s land.
Ethel then approaches her nephew-Farmer A with the offer. She requests that he match it, or she will be forced to make a tenant change.
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| Contact Brett at Vogel Crop Services by Cell: 319-240-8979 or Web: www.iowasoilsampling.com |
We know where this going; Farmer A flies off the handle, makes all sorts of excuses as to why that is way too much money, runs around town bitching to nearly everyone that will lend their ear, and seeks every opportunity to completely lambast Farmer B for having such nerve!
While situations such as this may seem like a straightforward example of the most basic economics, they are not. Producers take this stuff personally. It’s not just a rent offer, it’s a personal attack, a shot across the bow, and they full well know that they have not taken the proper precautions to defend it. Had Farmer A been willing to pay close to market price all along, it would be much easier to defend such an offer.
This stuff happens, people get mad, some even get shot (just go to Warren County)! And like it or not, these situations are going to continue to happen more frequently. The idea of a competitive market place for rented land is one that every farmer needs to come to grips with…pretty damned fast!
Production agriculture has always been and will continue to be a very fast changing, evolving, and improving industry. Entitlement and complacency has no business in an industry that is charged with the responsibility of providing a growing, hungry world, with the resources it needs to sustain itself.
As far as I am concerned, aggressively approaching land owners and renting additional acres is simply playing offense. As a producer, if your cost structure, marketing plan, and cash flow can justify the risk; go for it! If you happen to lose a rented farm; accept the fact that you were just not playing defense well enough.
On the other side of the coin, if you need to beef up your defense…here are a couple of take-homes to consider:
· Be at the market. If you are paying close to market price year in and year out, it will solidify your role as a tenant.
· Differentiate yourself. Make sure that the landowner knows and understands the value that you as a client bring to the table as a result of operating their asset.
· Understand your values as well as the values of the parties you do business with. At the end of the day, if the values and business principles of you and your landowner do not align: it will probably not be a very productive relationship for very long and it is unrealistic to expect any different.
Somebody get me some water…cuz we got a fire!
Editor's Note:
Rob Rudolphi resides in Eastern Iowa with his lovely wife Tara, where he is involved varying facets of several agricultural businesses. They currently have no kids, no dogs, and certainly no cats, and are generally up for anything involving a good time!
If you have a idea that would make a good "Burn Topic" for next month's Rudolphi's Burning column, please email the idea to prburmeister@gmail.com All entries will remain anonymous.
Rudolphi's Burning Feedback
Great first blog post by Rob! RT"@newscoffeeshop: Rudolphi's Burning- May 2012 http://t.co/igfPFni1 #agchat #farmers #ranchers #ag" -- Jim L. (@judgingcoach)
Monday, May 14, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Live Field Update
EAST CENTRAL IOWA: Planting last 7 acres of corn(1st time). Corn in immediate area is 90 % done,beans 40% (my best guess). 40 miles south (by quad cities) it sound like it may be kind of a mess. 5-8 inches of rain over a week ago,along with cool temps have messed up a lot of corn. A lot of those guys just got back into the fields a couple of days ago(they haven't planted since April 27th). 10 days ago we wanted the rain to stop and now we will be praying for a rain in a couple of days(gotta love mother nature). A lot of hay is being made around here... from Scott Hingtgen- Jackson County, IA
2012 Crop Tour Plot
A couple quick snapshots of the 2012 News From The Coffee Shop Crop Tour plot being planted next to Henderson Event Center, Independence, IA.
Pioneer, Garst, NK, Cropland, DeKalb, & Agrigold all in one place.
More on the 2012 Crop Tour coming very soon!
This ever happened to you?
One for the farmers. Yoo hoo mr sprayer man. I think your nozzle was blocked! http://t.co/bfYmEUFP -- Sarah B (@scrufflove)
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