Johnson Estate brings $1.45 Million

158 taxable acres including a below average acreage sold at auction today for $1,450,000. The property is located 4 miles south if Independence in Buchanan County,  IA.

Weather

Yes, for Iowa wet in Apr tends to follow a foggy Jan -- Elwynn Taylor (@ElwynnTaylor)

USDA REPORT COMING SOON

Limit up in #corn 738 3/4 Limit down is 658 3/4 #usda Place your bets -- Thomas Grisafi (@IndianaGrainCo)

Still Short Moisture

85% of top soil moisture in Iowa classified as short to very short. -- Jason Britt (@jasonlbritt)

Chinese Demand

In 1995, China grew 14 million tons of soybeans & consumed 14 million tons. In 2011, still at 14 million tons, but consumed 70 million ton -- Farmland Network (@FarmlandNetwork)

Coffee Shop @ Liberty Bowl- Memphis, TN

From Stephen Burke- Delaware County, IA

Farmland Turnover

USDA has estimated that 70% of US farmland could turnover in the next 20 years. Be ready, things come up fast! http://t.co/0essGb5I -- Farmland Network (@FarmlandNetwork)

Bowl Game Humor

Guy in Memphis asks my dad if anyone is still in iowa due to how many isu fans there are here. Dad says, "yeah.... Hawk fans." #goodonepops -- Adam Gray (@CFSalesAdam)

CME Slow

Floor broker says the pit is so slow, they are taking bets on who can jump up the most steps in one leap. #Agchat -- Brian J Splitt (@BJSplitt)

Quotable Quote

"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the Government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian."   ~ Henry Ford

Scott Hingtgen's Fall 2012 Highlight Review

Happy Festivus

oh - and ... A VERY HAPPY FESTIVUS TO YOU ALL. Let the airing of grievances begin! -- jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander)

The Day After via Hingtgen!

Hingtgen Recaps the Snowy Day!

Eastern Iowa Rent Up

Eastern Iowa Airport raises cash rent for farms on strong land demand- 2k acres at $400/ac renewed to same 5 farms. http://t.co/i8ydJftT -- Farmland Network (@FarmlandNetwork)

Rudolphi's Burning- December '12

Rudolphi's Burning on

News From The Coffee Shop

December 17, 2012 1:03 PM

In the Rearview Mirror

The old adage is that hindsight is 20/20.  In farming there are many opportunities to look back and say to ourselves “If only”.  “If only I would have sold!”.… “If only I would have waited”…. “If only I had back the money I sent the TV preacher who was screwin’ the hockey player!” (Name that movie and I’ll give you a nickel)

 On the other hand, there is always enough work to be done, and enough plates to keep spinning that it is many times easier to just shrug off our bad decisions and continue plowing forward in a hurry to make more of them.  I believe that it is important for all operations and producers to take a little time to sit down and really analyze what is working for them, what is not, and the reasons why. 

I am not suggesting that you sit around and dwell on the past, agonizing over missed details and getting yourself into the kind of depressed state that only a 3 day bender can cure, (by all means you don’t need an excuse to go on a 3 day bender!).  But rather take a hard analytical look at what went right, what went wrong, and how you can position yourself and your operation to do more things right in the upcoming year.

2012 in Review

To provide some food for thought, here is 2012 as I remember it.  Perhaps other events and milestones stick out in your mind, and that is great.  Feel free to share a few in the “Comments” section.

January— It wasn’t very cold, actually unseasonably warm.  Not very snowy or icy either.  The old crop markets were staging a rebound off of their fall lows and gaining speed due to dry conditions in South America.  All in all spirits were pretty high coming off a good crop with good prices in 2011.

February— During the month we established the crop insurance guarantees.  $5.68 for corn, $12.55 for soybeans.  Both of which looked “Ok at best”, coming off of some of the prices received throughout the 2011 crop year, these seemed fairly mundane. 

March— The news was released that farmers that the intentions of planting 96 million acres of corn.  The new crop bulls were put out to pasture almost immediately in anticipation for a record corn crop.  Livestock producers’ mouths began to water a little bit, while there was a little uneasiness amongst the row crop community.

April— By and large a really nice month in which a lot of work got done.

May— Just a continuation of April.  Mid-late May, Iowa really looked good, work was completed in a very timely fashion, and the crop was off to the races.  The first article of “Rudolphi’s Burning” was released, which will prove to be a valuable source of information and entertainment for many in the months to come.

June— We lost our dear friend Mark Pearson and it all kind of went downhill from there.  The rains became increasingly scarce.  We started to observe a few symptoms of dry weather that we had not seen in many years.  Symptoms such as weeds escaping soil applied herbicide due to insufficient moisture for recharge; even glyphos treatment took a long time to take effect because the plants were in such a defensive mode.  The hog markets rallied, the basis exploded, and despite corn inching upward, it was an enjoyable time for people selling pigs.

July— The water shut off for good.  Across Iowa we had an extreme case of the “haves and have-nots” as there were pockets that received lucky showers, and other that just watched their crops wither away.  Farmers begin to alter their production plans, cancelling planned fungicide and insecticide applications, content to just live to fight another day. Prices and basis levels for both old and new crops begin to climb higher and are on the brink of all time records.

August— Rains return and the air cools down providing some much needed relief.  For the soybeans this is just what the doctor ordered.  Most people are under the belief that the corn is toast and that the rains are just too little, too late.  Corn climbs to $8.00 and stays there for a little while.  Anyone with old crop corn or soybeans to sell is receiving record cash prices.

September—The combines begin to roll.  Some are pleasantly surprised, others just as they predicted.  Yields and outcomes are variable from field to field.  The election heat really starts to turn up.

October—Harvest continues at the fastest pace on record.  Yields remain fairly spotty, and the growing sentiment is that “It isn’t as bad as we thought”.  Sandy hits the east coast, wreaking some havoc in the market place.  We all watch on TV as a resilient group of people begin to piece everything back together after a natural disaster.

November—Harvest wraps up, the election takes place.  For many the harvest outcome is better than that of the election.  For the most part the markets are stagnant.  While the markets are at very high historical levels, they seem boring and in need of some fresh news. 

December— The legislators and the President continue to bicker, go round and round, and seem to get nothing accomplished.  They seem to forget that their decisions actually do have significant impacts on the planning of the businesses that run the economy.  We find ourselves discussing, worrying, and complaining about what might be the outcome of all of the last minute rhetoric.  

And then the unthinkable happens; some big time loser with his mom’s guns does some really horrible stuff.  We are forced to take a step back and realize just how easy it is to get caught up in our day to day battles and lose sight of just how bad things and people can be.  Nobody in that classroom really cared about the fiscal cliff, tax policies, weather patterns, or the price of corn. 

As you are sitting down to analyze and review what is working, and what could be working for your operation, please don’t forget to think about who is important in your life and livelihood. 

Make sure they know just how important they are.

Editor's Note:
Rob Rudolphi resides in Eastern Iowa with his lovely wife Tara, where he is involved in several agricultural businesses. They currently have no kids, no dogs, and certainly no cats, and are generally up for anything involving a good time!

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.

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.

Attention: Snowmobile Fans

This year the DNR is requiring riders to carry proof of liability insurance with them at all times.

From Smith D&L Insurance- Independence, IA

2012 ISU Land Survey Available Now

ISU Annual Land Survey- 2012

NH3 TANK VIEW

From Scott Hingtgen- Jackson County, IA

E.C. Iowa: Dec 6th and still in the field. This is the latest I have ever applied NH3. There is just enough moisture to run. We have rain chances all the time, but as the rain heads are way it disappears(like it has all year).

Wisconsin Hunting Trip

These incredible photos were posted at Hiawatha Bar in Junction City, WI.
The hunter is 6'1". The wolf is 165lbs. The buck was shot as he was
climbing down his stand to admire the wolf. Both harvested somewhere
between Marathon City & Merrill. The hunter believes this to be the
alpha male as it dwarfed in size the 5 others in the pack that gave him
shot opportunities.

2013 Yields Projected Below Trendline

A top agricultural scientist at a US university is predicting that US will see below trend line yields for the 4th straight year in 2013, the CME reported. The report stated that he expects yields to fall to near 147 bushels per acre vs. a trend yield of 160. The report cited that corn yield will continue to see the effects of last year's drought and 16 inches of precipitation will be needed between October and May to recharge soil moisture levels. Normally it takes close to 12 inches.
"It's looking likely that we will have a fourth year of below-trend U.S. corn yields. But not as bad as in 2012, but still below trend," Elwynn Taylor, Iowa State University climatologist, told Reuters Ag Forum, an on-line chatroom.

As seen on MarketWatchOnline.com

From Unknown

Thanks 4 posting bankrupt post. 2 bad most who read it won't learn from it! If u r conservative u get run over, and if u r aggressive u can go down along with those u pushed out with your greed!

2012 Top Producer declares Bankruptcy

See details here

BREAKING- Legend Bags Buck of the Year

Urbana, IA- Local woodsman, Jeff Manson stumbles onto record-breaking Whitetail buck during a recent push in Buchanan County earlier today. He cites choice of footwear and clothing as keys to the sneak attack.

Corn Prices Higher, Then Lower in 2013

Societe Generale forecasts corn prices to average $7.38 per bushel during the first quarter of the year before falling to an average of $6.57 during the fourth quarter, according to its 2013 outlook. The price forecast is the quarterly average of the nearby futures contract.

Rabobank's forecast is more favorable to farmers in the first three months of 2013 with corn prices estimated to average $7.90 per bushel, factoring in a rally in January following the USDA Grain Stocks report.

However, Rabobank expects corn prices to fall 24% over the course of the year to average $6 per bushel in the fourth quarter. The key factor in that price decline, the Rabobank report states, is the corn production estimate of 14.1 billion bushel. That figures in a 0.7-million-acre increase in corn plantings to 97.6 million acres, with increases coming in the Northern Plains, displacing soybeans and wheat, and the Delta, displacing cotton.

"Our base-case scenario shows stocks-to-use rising to 13.6%, although we acknowledge significant risks to our return-to-trend yield forecast," the report stated, noting current drought conditions. Rabobank used a trend yield of 157 bpa in its forecast.

"We see corn demand and prices pressured on reduced usage for ethanol, further reductions in the U.S. livestock and poultry sectors, and less exports," according to Societe Generale's outlook. "However, prices are vulnerable to adequate South American production. If production there disappoints, prices will likely see upside risks to our current forecasts."

As seen on www.DTN.com

Powerball Winning Numbers

Tomorrow's Winning Powerball Numbers Are: 8, 17, 22, 29, 44 Powerball: 30 -- The Onion (@TheOnion)

Weekly Update- Scott Hingtgen

E.C. Iowa: Harvest is done. Some fall field work is being done, but that may slow down or come to an end around here as temps dropped to 11-15 F overnight. Fertilizer has been applied, as well as a fair amount of NH3 in the county. Supposed to warm up into the 40's-50's for daytime highs, but overnight temps are supposed to be in the low 20's. Now it's bookwork time to get ready for the taxman (President Obama).