Farm Help

There is a lot of speculation as to what the market will be doing come May, August or November, 2008. Scott McKennon, Regional Vice President at Farm Credit Services in Russellville, Ark., gave his input on the options producers can find with booking and hedging sale prices for the months to come.

Housing market crunch. Recession. Economic downturn. These are some scary words often heard while watching the news these days. In times like these, people are often reminded to re-evaluate their own financial situation and examine their financial institution’s stability during an economic downturn. 

The first and most important step in taking control of your farm operation’s financial well-being is to keep good and accurate farm records.

What are the top things to look at when evaluating a business and looking to get a loan for expansion?
Bryan Hodges, a loan officer at First National Bank of Green Forest, in Green Forest, Ark., explained that there are many factors involved in determining if a person or a business should be qualified for a loan. “Depending on the type of request, business or individual, we still look very closely at the character of the individual or business. We take a look at their history in management of the farm or of their operations.” Other considerations include character, credit history, experience and whether or not they’ve had loans in the past and understand how the loan process works.
Some other factors Hodges said will be considered when evaluating a cattle operation include determining if the person has adequate means of repayment. “Something that’s very important is cash flow. What kind of margin do they have in their cash flow,” Hodges asked.

As the time to start planning spring plantings, farmers must consider what types of fertilizers to use.  Many farmers have an abundance of animal waste at their fingertips, and considering the prices of commercial fertilizers, they would be wise to weigh those alternative options.

No doubt, every farming operation manages their production with the idea of returns being greater than the costs. But to manage this effectively, and to truly know what your bottom dollar will be, it’s essential to establish and maintain an accurate budget sheet for your farm.

For most farmers and horse owners, deciding whether or not to feed their horses alfalfa is a tough row to hoe. Although alfalfa is a high quality horse feed, so many myths surround it that horse owners either underutilize or misuse it.

1.Dairy cows will eat 8 to 10 meals a day. Average feeding time will be about 20 minutes when fed a TMR.

With high fertilizer prices this year many producers are considering incorporating legumes into their fescue pastures this spring.  But just how much benefit do forage producers really receive from adding legumes?  After all, legume seed isn’t cheap.  There are four basic benefits to adding legumes: forage yield, forage quality, nitrogen fixation, and closing the summer gap in forage production.  Let’s take a look at each of these. 

At the 84th Annual Lawrence County Soils and Crops conference Jan.10, in Mt. Vernon, Karla Deaver told her startling story of a hay scam, where she and her husband were the victims.