Economics
Let’s make a marketing plan (Part 2)
This article continues our marketing plan discussion from the February 2026 issue of Wheat Life. The next step in making a marketing plan is to form a market outlook. It is hard to do this objectively because our natural inclination is one of hope — for higher prices — but…
Finding financial balance
It can be hard to find stability in today’s topsy-turvy ag economy, but an accurate balance sheet could make all the difference. That was the message growers heard in January at a workshop focused on “The Business of Farming,” presented by Jon Paul Driver. Driver is an ag economist with…
Searching for financial viability in today’s ag
Washington agriculture has long been a cornerstone of the state’s economy. Today, however, the question facing farmers is not how much we can produce, but whether we can remain financially viable while doing so. One of the biggest challenges is rising input costs, while wheat prices remain roughly the same…
Let’s make a marketing plan, Part 1
The articles that I’ve been writing this past year have all been leading up to this one — making a marketing plan (broken into two parts). I’ve covered the basic principles and some of the marketing tools that you need to understand and know how to use. The first thing…
The next chapter: Planning for retirement
You have a unique vision for your retirement. Whatever that vision is, proactive planning is the first step toward helping bring it to life. Unfortunately, more than half of adults feel they’re behind on retirement planning. The truth is, the sooner you start planning and saving for your retirement, the…
Options to market grain
This article is my last one covering marketing basics before we put everything together to develop a marketing plan. Unfortunately, it covers a difficult subject that is hard to cover in a short article. First, what is a minimum pricing contract (MPC)? It is a marketing tool that combines a…
Market intelligence
In early October, when Wheat Life spoke to Arlan Suderman, it was too early for him to know exactly what he’ll be talking about at the convention later this month. In fact, depending on world headlines, he might be putting the pieces together at the very last minute so growers…
Shifting gears in farmland leasing
Growing up on the farm provided me with several opportunities to operate equipment with manual transmissions. Several sets of gears allowed the operator to find the very best speed/power for any circumstance, whether in the field or out on the road, empty or fully loaded with produce. One gear in…
The trend is your friend?
The title of this article is one of those catch phrases that you may have heard over the years. It relays the fact that to make money trading commodities, you will make money as long as your trades align with the trend: selling short in a downtrend and being long…
Marketing friend or foe?
I was asked if I would write an article explaining the basis relationship between soft white wheat (SWH) and CBOT wheat futures, so here we go! I felt that this relationship could be best explained if I compared/contrasted the hard red winter wheat (HRW) KCBOT basis relationship with the SWH…
