Any Farmers In The House?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Can someone explain this to me?

I listen to a local news-talk-information AM radio station. Every hour on the half hour they play the farm market report. It sounds like this:

“july wheat is up a quarter at two and one quarter july corn is up a half at 3 and one half july soybeans are up a quarter at four and one quarter july meal is up a half at theree and one half august corn is down a penny at two and one half august wheat is up a half at four and one half august cattle are up two at thirty two and one sixteenth august pork bellies are up a dollar at forty one and one fourth august sorghum is up a fiftieth at three and one sixth august soybeans are up a quarter at four and one quarter…”

Are farmers throughout central Illinois listening to these reports and furiously scribbling notes? Does your decision to apply herbicide today or not apply herbicide today depend on the how much the price of your crop went up or down in the past hour?

2

Rasty:

What you are listening to is pretty much a horse race. The farmers have already put their horses (actually crops and livestock) into that race and they are listening to learn how they are doing, hoping that they put them in at the right time.

A few will have their crops in silos or cattle at feedyards waiting for the best time for them to pull them out of storage and put them on the to market.

Also, if you dabble in the futures market and want to know what and when to buy and sell, this is important information.

Finally, many farmers will listen to the “farm-market reports” and try to figure what to plant or raise for the next season by using trends that have ocurred in the current and previous ones.

The AM “farm-market report” is actually becoming less and less of a factor as more and more producers are going on-line.

TV