Meghan Grebner speaks with Lance Albin, Bill Watson and Michael LaPlant at UMB Bank in Kansas City about the kinds of conversations farmers and producers should be having with their bank as we wrap up harvest season and start planning for the year ahead. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Weed control is crucial to maximizing yields and improving the bottom line. Selecting the right herbicide to get the job done is equally as important. 

In this Managing for Profit, Matt Muckerman talks about the importance of selecting a Roundup branded glyphosate when it comes to maximizing your return on investment.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lillian Magidow, senior research manager for WinField United, says drift reduction additives are commonly paired with dicamba herbicide. Her team has been looking at how these additives function in realistic conditions, and discovered drift control products can thicken the spray, leading to what they’re calling bag breakup.  

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

• This week in the markets – Live cattle are $.75 higher this week and feeder cattle auctions were anywhere from steady to $2 higher. February live cattle futures closed $1.10 lower and January feeder cattle contract closed nearly $.70 lower. The Choice Box Beef price moved $4.25 lower this week, as all components were down. Cash barrow and gilt prices were up $.50 this week, while the February lean hog futures contract closed $.85 lower. Pork cutout value was $.35 lower this week, pressured mostly by belly prices.
• Monthly Trade Data – October pork exports were more than 8 percent higher than year-ago levels and for the first 10 months of the year are up 5 percent. Exports to China and Hong Kong are up more than 50 percent on the year. October beef exports are down 8 percent relative to a year ago. For the first 10 months, beef exports are down 2.5 percent on the year. 
• US-Japan Trade agreement clears final hurdle – Scott and Meghan talk about the impact this could have on US red meat.
• Jobs Report – There were 266,000 more jobs for this month, well above the pre-report estimates. The Unemployment Rate came in at 3.5 percent, the lowest in 50 years. Over the past year, hourly earnings have increased by a little more than 3 percent.   
• Consumer Sentiment – There was a 2.5 percent increase in consumer sentiment month-over-month. The Current Economic conditions index rose 3.2 percent relative to last month. 
• Next Week’s Reports – WASDE on Tuesday and Retail Prices on Wednesday

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fall applied nitrogen can be risky especially as farmers consider weather volatility and narrowing margins. 

In this Managing for Profit, Precision Planting research agronomist Cory Muhlbauer explains why feeding the plant when it needs food makes sense – both agronomically and to the bottom line.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every new growing season new corn and soybean products are introduced and provide the opportunity for improved performance and higher yield potential.

In this Managing for Profit, Bayer soybean germplasm and deployment lead Wes Hays talks about the breed process for Asgrow Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans and how they benefit farmers. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Farmers are arming themselves with more data than ever before, and gaining a better understanding of the role macro and micronutrients play. WinField United agronomist Jon Zuk says tissue sampling is a critical part in that process, but points out knowing when and where to take samples makes a huge difference.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On-farm research at the Precision Technology Institute is studying the benefits of switching to a planter applied banded phosphorus in the spring.

In this Managing for Profit, commercial agronomist and institute director Jason Webster talks about the research and why taking a split application approach to phosphorus could boost a farmer’s ROI.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

• This week in the markets – It’s been a quiet week for trading because of the Thanksgiving holiday. December live cattle futures are up $3 through Wednesday and January feeder cattle futures are up more than $4.  Both box beef prices and pork values are lower this week. Through Wednesday, box beef is down more than $4 and pork values are down nearly $3. Pork values have been pressured by the drop in belly prices so far this week.
• Farm income estimates from the USDA – USDA projects farm income for 2019 to rise to 92.5-billion-dollars, that is an 8.5 billion increase from 2018. The increase can primarily be attributed to higher government payments and crop insurance. 
• Restaurant Performance Index – For October 2019, the Restaurant Performance Index came in at 101.1, supported by both a stronger current situation index and expectation index. This increase comes on the heels of four months of declines in the RPI. 
• Trade, trade, and more trade – Scott and Meghan talk about the recent trade news and what it means for agriculture. 
• Next week’s reports -  Monthly Trade Data, Jobs Report, and Consumer Sentiment

*Recorded early due to the Thanksgiving Holiday.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Bayer Plus rewards program offers farmers more choices, easier access to their incentives, and they can earn more money back from their purchases. 

In this Managing for Profit, Bayer’s Lauren Klumb explains how the portal makes using the rewards program even easier.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.