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41st ANNUAL TOP FARMER CROP WORKSHOP
July 20-23, 2008 Purdue University
2008 Conference Agenda
Sunday Afternoon, July 20
Rooms 103, 120, 202, and 203 Pfendler Hall
3:00 Early Bird Help Session – Purdue Crop-Linear Programming Computerized Farm Budgets Corinne Alexander, Craig Dobbins, Alan Miller, Roman Keeney, George Patrick, Luc Valentin, and our teaching assistants Help is available for you to complete your PC-LP Input Form.
4:00 PC-LP for First Timers
5:00 Supper on Your Own
Ask a teaching assistant for recommendations.
Sunday Evening
The Deans Auditorium, Room 241 Pfendler Hall
5:00 Registration and Get Acquainted Time Refreshments available in the lobby.
6:30 Workshop Introduction Luc Valentin, Purdue Ag Economist Welcome and basic information. How to get the most out of the Top Farmer experience.
6:50 B-21 Base Case—Implications of Equipment Sharing Luc Valentin, Purdue Ag Economist There are few substitutes for economies of scale if you are competing in a volume-driven business. But finite land resources mean we all can’t all capture those economies of scale directly. The independent nature of farmers keeps most skeptical of sharing arrangements—but freedom can come at a price. Luc is using the PC-LP model to associate dollars with various equipment sharing scenarios.
7:10 Make Your Accounting Pay Its Way Lori and John Frey, Indiana Farmers Keeping track of the books can be a real chore, a necessary task to ensure the bills get paid and the taxes properly filed. But the Frey’s double-entry accounting system, while requiring a disciplined commitment, has paid its way by better identifying the real money associated with various aspects of their operation. A clean set of numbers can take much of the fuzziness away from key management decisions.
7:30 What Will Be the Skills of Tomorrow’s Farmers? Bryce Knorr, Senior Editor, Farm Futures magazine Not afraid of heavy physical work or long hours…masters at managing resources and creating solutions to ever-changing conditions. Those are the hallmarks of farmers past—and probably for the foreseeable future as well. But how should you be building your capability and capacity to manage tomorrow’s challenges?
7:50 Do Financially Successful Farmers Use a Somewhat Different Set of Management Skills? Jason Oliver, Purdue Ag Economist Our survey shows that when it comes to financial success, business and management skills are important, everything else being equal. However, other factors can trump them down. There were some interesting trends that you will want to know about.
Interactive Session—What Skills Do You Possess That Suit You Well as a Farmer? What Skills Do You Need to Acquire? If you were to write the skill set for the perfect farmer, what would it be? Where do you land in relation to this? Discussion led by Bruce Erickson
Monday Morning, July 21
The Deans Auditorium, Room 241 Pfendler Hall
7:45 Welcome and Introductory Comments Jay Akridge, Interim Dean of Agriculture
8:00 Strategic Management for Growing Farm Operations Terry Kastens, Kansas Farmer and K State Ag Economist Most farming operations grew over time by incrementally adding resources and capacity, one relatively manageable piece at a time. But today’s growth opportunities can represent a significant percentage of the area currently farmed—sizable acquisitions and affiliations that can be much more challenging. Terry will help prepare you to analyze these as you seek them, or they come calling.
8:40 Originate the Value Chain as a Primary Producer Chip Donahue, National Account Mgr, Strategic Sourcing, Deere and Company Vegetable growers monitor and capture quality information on the go at harvest, because processors pay accordingly. This and other information is fed back to field operations that may trigger adjustments within minutes. Combining this with other field attributes and then forming a community with other processors provides a shared knowledge system that adds value to the supply chain, traceability, and accountability. What future factors will drive the economics of this for Midwest corn and soybean farms?
9:00 The View from the Grain Elevator Tom Madru, Manager Grains Div. & Mike Silver, Grain Merchandiser, Kokomo Grain Grains are trading in territories previously unexplored, triggering new situations. What does a lack of contract convergence mean to your grain merchandiser? How are they coping with the fiscal strains of margin calls? What changes are in store, and where does this leave you?
9:20 Learning to Use PC-LP Here’s your first look at your farm solutions. Once you’ve described it correctly, you’re ready to interpret the crop mix, machine size, and farm size signals.
9:45 Break, sponsored by Farm Futures
10:00 My Basis for Variable Rate Planting Michael Vos, Iowa Farmer Changing planting rates for different management zones has not been proven by researchers to be a big moneymaker. Besides, what factors determine the rate? But many newer planters are coming from the factory with this feature. How do you make the economics best work for you?
10:20 Building Food Security in Afghanistan Hasrat Halimi, Wali Salari and colleagues from Kabul University, guests of Kevin McNamara, Purdue Ag Economist. Introduction by Jim Moseley, former Deputy Secretary, United States Department of Agriculture. Kabul University’s agricultural school was established in 1956, but is slowly recovering from years of war and chaos. Purdue is playing a special role in helping to rebuild the research and educational center of Afghan agriculture. What future roles regarding food security should universities play around the world?
10:40 No-Till His Best Option on Clay Soils Dave Lotz, Ohio Farmer While many have moved to or are contemplating strip till for its unique compromise of the benefits of tillage while maintaining many of the benefits of no-till, Dave Lotz feels that going all the way to no-till serves him best.
11:00 Management Practices of Indiana Corn After Corn Growers Bruce Erickson Growing corn after corn can present additional challenges—what practices are working best for the growers who responded to this survey?
11:30 Adjourn to Beck Agricultural Center at the Agronomy Center for Research and Education (ACRE), located approximately 5 miles northwest of campus at 4540 U.S. 52 West. The Beck Center is the first building on the left after you enter the farm driveway. Free parking in front. Complementary lunch provided.
Monday Afternoon, July 21
Beck Agricultural Center at the Purdue Agronomy Center for Research and Education
12:00 Noon Lunch and Risk Management & Marketing Survey Please enjoy the complementary lunch, and we hope you will take 15 or 20 minutes following lunch to complete our survey.
1:00 Attracting the Capital to Grow Your Operation Adam Howell, Howell Farms, Indiana and Brazil The Howells were for many years a fairly typical Midwest farm, locally financed and surrounded by others competing aggressively for the same resources. They saw opportunity to expand in South America, and developed a business plan with enough sophistication and detail to attract outside investors. Their Brazilian operation and their outside financial relationships continue to grow today.
1:20 Where are U.S. Land Prices Going? Terry Kastens, Kansas State Ag Economist Farmers and associated agribusinesses are dealing with both local and global shifts not seen before—in demographics, population, and income, as well as demand from biofuels. With these kinds of uncertainties, how does one get a grip on future directions?
1:45 Managing the Complex Ecosystems that are Your Fields—Key to Crop Protection
Pest management has come a long way since the “spray to kill” thinking of the past. During each of these sessions, these specialists will update you with the most recent science regarding your key economic threats, talk to issues specific for 2008, and help you to refine your pest management strategy for your operation.
Insects Corey Gerber, Entomologist, and Director of the Purdue Diagnostic Training Center
Diseases Carl Bradley, University of Illinois Plant Pathologist
Weeds Bill Johnson, Purdue Weed Scientist
3:15 Break Refreshments available in the Beck Agricultural Center Lobby.
4:00 Sensors Have Potential for Fine-Tuning N Management Jim Camberato and Robert Nielsen, Purdue Agronomists We will discuss and demonstrate how active sensors can be used to detect N deficiency. Strategies for fine-tuning N management with sensor technology will also be presented.
4:40 Generating More Bushels While Holding the Line on Inputs Shane Meier, Indiana Farmer No-till practices and cover crops are good for retaining nutrients and for long-term soil health, but certainly come with their own set of management issues. Learn how Shane makes these work in his farming operation.
5:00 The View from Below Phillip Owens, Purdue Agronomist Peer into an area that is so critical to your success but you rarely have the opportunity to truly examine—your soil! Phillip will help you understand soil properties and how they relate to crop responses.
Monday Evening
6:00 Pork BBQ at Beck Agricultural Center at the Agronomy Center for Research and Education
Winning On and Off the Farm Bill Flory, Flory Farms, Idaho Being an aggressive businessperson does not necessarily mean you have to be the bully in your community. Create win/win situations with your employees, competing farmers, and local suppliers. Bill will share the responsibility he feels in his support for his local community.
Increasing the Productive Capacity of Your Land Johan Oostenbrink, Netafim Irrigation Where does irrigation best pay, and what system returns the most over time? Explore the options and economics of no irrigation vs. sprinkler vs. drip.
More Automation—More Work Accomplished Jamie Bultemeier and Andrea Grube, John Deere The life of leisure promised for us in the past with labor saving devices did not happen. What did happen is that we are expected to do more, and to do it faster and better! Automated equipment functionality integrated with automated steering should allow you to get more done, faster and better. Field demo will follow discussion.
Tuesday, July 22
The Deans Auditorium, Room 241 Pfendler Hall
8:00 Growing the Business Without Growing the Acres Maria Marshall, Purdue Ag Economist Growth is associated with healthy corn plants and healthy businesses. But with a fixed land base, not everyone can grow the acres part. Maria will guide you through some considerations when looking at alternatives.
8:20 Spatially Intense Subirrigation/Drainage Matt Stine, Indiana Farmer Matt’s investment in land improvement infrastructure is one way to grow depth without breadth. Matt did a detailed financial analysis before taking the plunge—challenge his thinking as he walks you through this, piece by piece.
8:40 Web Soil Survey Phillip Owens, Purdue Agronomist The amount of information available to you is increasing exponentially. But this information is worth little to your business unless it is turned into knowledge and acted upon. Soils information for your farms has been available for years, but now it is ready-packaged for you--digitized, downloadable, and easily integrated into farm-level maps.
9:00 New Farm Program, New Considerations Wayne Myers and Todd Jennison, Kennedy and Coe, LLC The intent of the farm program is helping stabilize your income, but we all know there is so much more. In light of the just-passed legislation, how should you best structure your farm business to adapt to these changes, such as the new payment limitation rules?
9:30 Learning to Use PC-LP Here’s your next look at your farm solutions.
9:50 Break, sponsored by Farm Works Software
10:20 Following the Path of Most Resistance Todd McGuire, Ohio Farmer Not much has been said about soil compaction in recent years, but Todd knows its effects and is working both ends of it in his favor through controlled trafficking—with better traction and fuel economy from following the same paths, to more favorable crop rooting environments in-between. Learn about the technology, equipment modification, and other tools used by this operation.
10:40 Historical Perspective on the Uncharted Markets Ahead Terry Jones, Iowa Farmer/Consultant/Grain Elevator Owner-Operator Cycles in commodities have been studied extensively, to help guide strategies and to be prepared for future events. Using Terry’s background in futures market analysis, are $8 corn or $20 soybeans unrealistic expectations?
11:00 Economical Watershed Management Carl, Robert, and Scott Hamman, Ohio Farmers and Land Improvement Contractors Using their experiences from farming and from past necessity of managing a number of previously waterlogged fields, the Hammans work with farmers in several states to help them understand their fields and the complicated dynamics of surface and subsurface water flow. With advancements in RTK GPS-based surveying equipment, aerial digital cameras, and a precision surface drainage tool, difficult field situations can be more readily solved.
11:15 Volatile Weather, Volatile Prices, Managing the Risk Elwynn Taylor, Iowa State University Agricultural Meteorologist We have had extreme yields both high and low in the past that have affected market prices. During the past year there have been extremes in demand. Perhaps this year, for the first time in recent history, we will have both. The resulting market volatility is likely to exceed that induced by either factor.
11:50 Lunch on Your Own (see nearby dining suggestions provided in proceedings notebook)
1:15 What Are We Thinking? Agriculture's "Dr. Phil" Moment John Phipps, Illinois Farmer, and Host of U.S. Farm Report Markets and business conditions that no forecaster even imagined are now commonplace, and flabbergasted producers often spend too much time lamenting past decisions. John will help you make peace with yourself and approach tomorrow's decisions with excitement and realism.
1:50 The Nuts and Bolts of Employee Management Sarah Sanders Smith, Department of Organizational Leadership and Supervision, Purdue University North Central Sarah previously managed
human resources/labor relations for Pioneer’s second largest seed corn plant. She will help you with developing legally defensible job descriptions, determining farm wage scales, what benefits to keep good employees, and issues related to seasonal workers.
2:15 Managing Lease Arrangements with Landowners Panel discussion with selected landowners, moderated by Bruce Erickson and Luc Valentin Fluctuating markets and uncertain yields make it difficult to arrive at equitable agreements, yet it remains critical to maintain these important relationships. Interact with panel members to discuss options for cash or various share leases, program ramifications and limitations, maintaining positive relationships with landowners, and topics introduced by meeting participants.
3:00 Break Refreshments available in the lobby outside the auditorium.
3:30 Trading Labor for Equipment Brad Harman and Denny Foster, Indiana Farmers Brad’s developing farming operation had plenty of labor to offer, but limited resources for equipment. Denny’s long-established enterprise was just the opposite. Together they are achieving more and are able to grow, efficiently. Learn the tricks that make it work for both.
3:50 Internet-Based Grain Procurement Could Drive Special Markets Jason Tatge, CEO, Farms Technology LLC Their Web-based tools allow farmers to take advantage of intra-day futures market rallies and automatically execute forward cash commodity sales. DuPont/Pioneer’s pilot marketplace in Nebraska expands upon FarmsTech’s software, capable of offers to 12 or more buyers, in specifying hybrid characteristics such as ratings for ethanol or energy value for livestock, and in allowing buyers to search on these characteristics—providing value to both the buyer and the seller. Plans are to expand this program nationwide in the coming year.
4:10 Results of Land Price Survey Craig Dobbins, Purdue Ag Economist The demand-driven grain market has also driven up land prices. What do recent surveys in Indiana and other states show? What drives this market?
4:40 Novel Ideas to Reform the Way we Farm J R Hubele, Illinois Farmer Back by popular demand! What if the next farm bill is truly reform? This Illinois corn/soybean farmer (and also tobacco grower) is willing to walk the line of controversy with you—in discussing his labor issues, suggesting how the government might help get more farmland into crop share leases, and even a tobacco-style buyout of farm subsidies.
5:10 Adjourn to the Trails
Tuesday Evening
6:00 The Trails: Relax Outside the Trails Party House The Trails is located approximately 5 miles northeast of campus at 325 Burnett’s Road. From campus, go east down the hill to River Road (marked U.S. 231). Turn left on River Rd., it will become State Rd. 43. Follow SR 43 north about 5 miles to Burnett’s Rd. Turn right on Burnett’s Rd., proceed ¼ mile, it is just past the bridge on the right.
6:45 Steaks
7:15 Introductions
Sally Thompson, Department Head, Purdue Agricultural Economics
7:20 Protecting Your Freedom to Operate – How to Earn and Maintain Your Social License Charles Arnot, CEO of the Center for Food Integrity
Wednesday Morning, July 23
The Deans Auditorium, Room 241 Pfendler Hall
7:30 Final PC-LP Session. Refreshments available in the lobby outside the auditorium.
8:00 Their Rolling Dispatch Hub
Justin Welch and Luke Lightfoot, Co-Alliance, LLP, and Mike Psurny, Farm Works Software
How do you manage the always-changing application schedules, data uploads and downloads, and other technology associated with providing precision services to hundreds of customers? It would seem to make sense that one central collection point could keep up with this. But Luke and Justin are finding success with a more distributed approach to managing information over space and time, using Farm Works’ Farm Sync as their platform.
8:30 How the Changing Fertilizer Industry is Affecting North American Agriculture
Troy Erny, Vice President, Potash Corporation
Two years ago, Troy told us how rising global demand and increasing energy prices were causing shifts in fertilizer production, prices, and distribution worldwide. Now with all of this in warp speed, what additional shifts are expected? What should you be doing to best understand and adapt to these new realities?
8:50 Managing Price Risk Without Cheap HTA Fees, In a Dynamic Demand Driven Market
Dennis Alkire, Alkire Advisory Group
Using cash only contracts to sell grain may be costing you more in lost basis appreciation than you realize. But what is the margin risk for futures, or short option positions with world stocks at dangerously low levels, and world demand growing faster than farmers may be able to respond with increased acres?
9:20 Why 300 bushels/acre U.S. Corn Yield is Achievable by 2030
Mike Edgerton, Ethanol and Quality Traits Technical Lead, Monsanto
There has been considerable discussion that biotechnology-driven improvements in seed genetics have caused corn trend yields to increase at an increasing rate in recent years. Hear what is taking place in labs and greenhouses that may well be changing that trend line.
9:55 Break Refreshments available in the lobby outside the auditorium.
10:20 Why We Question the Ability to Reach 300 bushels/acre by 2030
Scott Irwin, Ag Economist, University of Illinois
Scott and colleagues’ regression analysis indicates that, after adjusting for weather, a notable recent increase in the yield trend for corn in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana is not evident. The answer is important not only to producers, but also to current policy debates about the amount of additional acreage that will be needed for corn production in the future.
11:00 How Feasible is Robotic Agriculture?
Simon Blackmore, Project Manager of FutureFarm Europe and Director, UniBots Ltd.
Simon has a worldwide reputation in developing intelligent machines and processes for crop production, and now he is running EU’s farm of tomorrow. With guidance, advanced monitoring and precision control systems becoming commonplace on farm equipment, what next steps will robotics tackle in improving production or efficiency?
11:40 Wrap-Up and Evaluation
What have we learned in the last three days—and how should we go forward from here? And, have your comments ready: what did you like about the 2008 Top Farmer Crop Workshop? What should be improved? Make suggestions for the 2009 program.
Noon Adjourn |
