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.

Visit From A Farmer

Billy Sanders, a farmer for whom I have a lot of respect came by the office today to get some peanut gift boxes for Christmas.

We visited a bit on what was going on in the world of Agriculture, cotton boll weevil eradication, and more. I asked him to change horses a bit and we did.

I asked him what they were going to do on Sanders' Farms this year. He told me they would have some cotton and peanuts, wheat after peanuts even though usually they did cotton after peanuts. He told me they would have significant acreage in soybeans because the price may be the best of the Commodities and the cost is the least so they offer significantly less risk.

I told him a big challenge I have is convincing folks that soybeans are the same as a peanut when you consider rotation. It is hard to convince some folks in the industry that soybeans on an acre of land means you need to wait at least three years to go back on that land with peanuts. I think farmers understand that but economics sometimes causes us to make less than optimum decisions on rotation. If I could wave a magic wand and have all conventional acres of peanuts on a four rotation and all conservation tillage on three years I would do it.

Farmers are really frustrated with the situation with prices being weak and inputs being too expensive. I also sense frustration of some in the industry who don't know how to handle this feast and famine cycle. Too many peanuts in 2008 and likely too few in 2009. We are a small commodity with no futures market so we feel the ride on the roller coaster a lot more rough at times.

Happy Thanksgiving

As we look forward and are puzzled what a farmer is to do in 2009, we need to look at the bounty of God's goodness and give thanks, this Thanksgiving Day.

Approaching Holidays

The approaching holidays are a great time to include peanuts in your entertaining. Peanuts are versatile and really good for you, too.

Yesterday, I made a quick and easy Oriental slaw and everyone loves it.

Just buy the Cole Slaw in a bag. To make the sauce you thoroughly blend together 3/4 cup of Sesame Salad Dressing (I like Newman's Sesame and Ginger), 2 TBSP of creamy peanut butter, and 2 TBSP of the juice from a small can of mandarin oranges. Use a wire wisk and make sure it is blended well.

Now take the mandarin oranges, the bag of slaw, a small bag of slivered almonds and the dressing and toss it all together mixing thoroughly.

Chill in the refrigerator until serving.

To serve top with LaChoy oriental noodles and there you have it.

Politics

We had a board meeting today and I sense a lot of hand wringing and gnashing of teeth. I guess some would call me naive but I am not at that point. We have a President-Elect and we will have to deal with his Administration. We won't agree with everything he does but then I can't remember a President I can say that about anyway.

The fact that he has offered his Chief of Staff position to Congressman Rahm Emanuel from Illinois should put some minds at ease. Emanuel, whose middle name is Israel, is a lifelong, practicing Jew who volunteered in Israel during the first Gulf War when Saddam was shooting scud missiles at Israel. Emanuel is a no-nonsense kind of guy who has been elected by margins greater than two thirds in all of his four congressional races.

Obama also named John Podesta to his transition team. Podesta was a Whitehouse Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton and before that was Staff Director for the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is a graduate of the Georgetown School of Law.

A New Administration

As of January we will have a new President and new Administration. I cannot say I am sad to see the old Administration leave. They have been difficult, to say it kindly.

I would think we should have a more amenable group at USDA at the top and I pretty much believe the career folks will take direction from the top.

I know many folks are concerned about the election but let me assure you having dealt with politics for three decades in an up close and personal way; America is still the greatest country on earth and it will still be great the next Presidential election, too.

Politics is like a pendulum, it doesn't swing too far one direction before forces greater than the pendulum itself bring it back in another direction. Though we have a two party system that covers the fringes well, the electorate is still largely based in the middle. God Bless America.

Visit to Georgia Tech

Recently, I visited the Georgia Tech campus to see what our Architectural Studio students were up to. I was amazed at their vision of agriculture and their ideas for a new peanut education and promotion center for the Commission.

They all felt that we need a demonstration area to grow the different crops so visitors can better grasp the depth of Agriculture in Georgia. They all have a vision of a technologically advanced facility and frankly location.

They have looked at "green" construction which improves energy consumption and is friendly to the environment. They even studied a building in Gwinette County which has grass growing on the roof and the medium the grass grows on is a mixture of ground peanut shells and treated sewage sludge.

We should see some interesting final concepts in December.