Why Were Grain Prices So High in 1988 and Other Market Mysteries
Sometimes you need to figure out something that was going on in the grain or livestock markets in the past and Wikipedia just does not cut it. For those lacking as much seniority as I have, it might be a mystery why grain prices were so high in 1988. Well, farmdoc to the rescue. I…
What does The Who Have to do with the U.S. Corn Trend Yield?
Last week, I wrote about the long-term trend in the US average corn yield (https://lnkd.in/gSYkmHjY). It was motivated by a post by Bob Nielsen of Purdue. Bob presented an amazing chart on the US corn yield going back to 1866. Well, Bob is back this week with another terrific post, this time on the mistakes…
Corn Trend Yield
If there is a topic that is sure to generate VERY strong opinions on the part of farmers, seed companies, and market analysts, it is the trajectory of corn trend yields. My motivation for writing about corn trend yields (again) is a recent post by the esteemed (and recently retired) agronomist at Purdue, Bob Nielsen.…
Tractors, Horses, and EVs
There is a tremendous amount of interest and activity surrounding electrical vehicles (EVs) right now, and for good reason. You can hear anything you want about what is going to happen, from we will all be driving Teslas in five years to this whole EV thing is a stupid use of energy and it will…
Blue Tombstones?
That title should get your attention! I am talking here about a particular type of silo found on livestock farms—blue Harvestores made by AO Smith like that in the picture below. Silos are everywhere in the country landscape in North America (and elsewhere). Maybe after barns, there is no more iconic landmark for a farm.…
The Best Book Ever Written about Commodity Futures Markets
I often get asked by people with an interest in commodity markets where they should start. What books should I read? My response is always the same. Start with Economics of Futures Trading by Professor Thomas Hieronymus. I have been studying and reading about commodity futures markets for over 40 years, and in my judgment,…