Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Georgia Farm Bureau

I was at Georgia Farm Bureau's convention on Sunday and had the time to visit with a lot of farmers. The uncertainty is really out there but strangely enough optimism still prevails. There are some farmers who still have peanuts in the field and they may well stay there based on the soil moisture conditions right now. There is no evaporation so the soil is not drying out at any pace at all.

I am pretty certain from what I hear that peanut, cotton, and corn acres are destined to lower acreages and soybeans will offer an alternative because the price is the best versus cost and the amount of money risked is significantly less. I am reminding farmers that they need to consider soybeans as a peanut in rotation so they need to stay at least to follow with at least two rotation crops and really with three rotation crops would be better.

Considering the dismal market picture I am also recommending that farmers seriously look at the rotation program which would tend to move us closer to a four year rotation on many acres and might help tighten the supply up to levels where the farmer has an opportunity for a profit.

If I could be king for a day I would have all the farmers plant every other day and go fishing and hunting the days they are not planting. We just have too much of everything and no market for it.

I remember being told by some of the major shellers and manufacturers that a reduction in price would increase demand. What happened?

Buckle the seatbelts, the roller coaster is about to take off and it is going to be a wild ride.

No comments: