Comments for Market to Market Blog

Comment on Rural Economic Summit - President Obama links by Colleen Eflin

Colleen Eflin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 06:14:05 +0000

Rural Economy; Northern Marshall County, Iowa, has been targeted to take grain land out of production, to build wind turbines with deep cement foundations and many graveled access lanes. The USA is already short on grain production; why should farmers surrender good soil for energy? It would be better to build an ethanol production, using the tall corn stalks in Central Iowa. Please stop building on agriculture grain land. It is costing tax payers to do it.

Comment on Death Tax, Food Safety and Foreign Demand by Jim Beck

Jim Beck — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 03:56:10 +0000

Our country was established by our ancestors looking for religious and economic freedom and capitalism was developed as our system of economy. It has served us well and why we continue to introject the marxist principle of \death taxes\ is contradictory and counterproductive.

Jim Beck

Comment on Flip on Ethanol, black farmer settlement and Heifer International by Jim Beck

Jim Beck — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 01:50:44 +0000

I am as incredulous about the black farmer and indian payments on their lawsuits as I have always been about Al Gore. My resentment and cynicism grows as I work hard and pay my taxes and watch how much of it is spent.I have spent my adult life advocating civil rights but the pendulum has swung so far in the opposite direction that it oftens leaves me with a feeling of utter disgust.

Comment on New leaders, private analysts estimates and Project Liberty by Elaine Kub

Elaine Kub — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:05:48 +0000

Randy -

The most frequently cited study is by two University of Illinois researchers, titled “The Impact of Index and Swap Funds on Commodity Markets.” It concluded that these speculators did NOT create a “bubble” in the specific case of the 2008 markets.

More generally, I think when seasonal ag commodity prices form a spike, which they frequently have done throughout the history of supply shortages, they get that term “bubble” applied to them inappropriately. Prices may move up and down more sharply than asset classes better understood by the average speculative investor, but as long as the cash market (the underlying value of the tangible asset) moves in line with the futures, I don’t think we can accurately call it a bubble.

We may, however, expect prices to drop dramatically (similar to a stock bubble or real estate bubble popping) when the next season’s supply becomes known. So even though it may look like a bubble and act like a bubble and smell like a bubble … it may not actually be a true “bubble,” in my opinion.

Would love to talk more about this with anyone interested,
Elaine Kub

ekub@agrisk.net

http://www.agriskconsulting.net

Comment on New leaders, private analysts estimates and Project Liberty by Randy Miller

Randy Miller — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 15:14:54 +0000

Mark and Elaine,

I watched the show this morning on the Internet. Once again there seems to be speculation disrupting some commodities markets, in this case beans and cottons. I flashed back to the commodities bubble of early 2008, which a lot of people think was speculator driven; whereby speculators pulled their money out of financial markets, and pumped it into commodities. I watched the oil, corn, and bean market closely. The supply and demand for the commodities themselves could not justify the prices we were seeing, but the supply of speculator money could drive those prices up.

My question for you two is: has there ever been a study on these commodities bubbles, a book written about them? I have seen dozens of books on the speculative bubble in financial instruments that almost destroyed Wall Street, but nothing on the commodities bubble. I would think some of the Ag Econ people at places like Iowa State would have something out there.

I appreciate any feedback.

Randy Miller
Ida Grove Ia

Comment on Food prices, elections and robotic milkers by Deanne

Deanne — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:30:02 +0000

Interesting story on the Robotic milkers. Until the end of it. How sad this couple has girls and no son to take over. What a shame. Bull. Why is it farms cannot continue on unless there is a son. I’ve spent 57 years of my life on a family farm only to be excluded at the end because I wasn’t THE SON. When will this Neanderthal attitude end?

Comment on Cloned steers, eggs and cellulosic feedstock by Maru Whitmore

Maru Whitmore — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 02:12:50 +0000

Loved your piece about the Cloned steer. It’s just a twin of another. The animal will still need to be fed and trained. Good genes are just that a good start. Many other factors affect the results the steer will bring to the young livestock producer raising it. Polk Co Nebraska for the first year did genetic sampling of the participating animals at registration. And for the first time a cloned animal was also present at the Nebraska State Fair. We need to keep the scientific information in perspective. Sometimes I get the impression genetics seem a “dark” subject because people don’t understand it. Just showing their ignorance.

Comment on Looking for your story by Maru Whitmore

Maru Whitmore — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 02:05:04 +0000

The biggest worry in our area is the support for the Ethanol industry. There are new careers in community colleges, good paying jobs for rural communities, and good price competition for farmers. Though basis is still very wide. Government mandating %of ethanol on fuel does affect all these positive areas of Ethanol.

Support to livestock industry, as it creates the opportunity for added value to our products. The United States needs to create industry that provides more opportunities for processing plants of different kinds. More and more it seems we export raw materials and let china, india, process to final product. The midwest is the ideal place for the growth of livestock industry. We need a rural promotor in the White house (we do have an urban affairs czar).

Comment on Dam breaks, environmental issues and alternative fuels - 3548 by Maru Whitmore

Maru Whitmore — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:29:10 +0000

I think is fantastic to have a piece on urban farms. It’s a wonderful way to promote the production of food in urban areas. We appreciate farms of all sizes. Small scale farming also gives urban people a better understanding of what a hard job and the consistency needed in this industry. I also puts a smile in their face when they have something positive to fill their lives.

Comment on How Is the Economic Downturn Affecting You and Your Community? by john Jonen

john Jonen — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:03:34 +0000

Just how much more efficient does the u.s. government expect the farmers to be. When they are maxed out by using semi-trailers to haul commodities from the field to the farmstead or elevaator. The infrastructure is loaded to capacity. When it takes two grain carts and three semi trailers to keep up to a modern combine. Not all roads are paved with thick concrete neither can all the rural bridges take such loads. Gone are the days when you walked all your corn off the farm. Peole who want to start frming have to compete with the government CRP payments. What good does it do to not raise beef on some Iowa farmland and drill deep wells in Western Kansas. Maybe the government should let people who farm full time haave some sort of depreciation opportunity to claim land principal purchase expenses.