The Hedged Edge

As we start 2023 – the stakes could not be higher for the agriculture sector! The world population is growing rapidly, crossing 8 Billion in November of last year. Due to the historic drought and war, there are lower stocks of the major grain supplies globally.  

Energy and interest rates have accelerated rapidly vs. this time last year, leading to higher input costs and raising the break-even levels for farmers and end users to unprecedented levels…plus there is still a war going on.  

To help give us some insight and answers to what lies ahead, we’re lucky to have two highly respected panelists with us today from both the banking and commodity risk management sides of the business; Rebecca King, Old National’s Agriculture Group, and Jody Lawrence, RCM Ag Services.

Webinar links:

Hedged Edge: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkfDAB4OJfR7i9N62wUKGSA

And last but not least, don't forget to subscribe to The Hedged Edge on your preferred platform, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Disclaimer: This podcast is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal, business, or tax advice. All opinions expressed by podcast participants are solely their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of RCM Ag Services, their affiliates, or companies featured. Due to industry regulations, participants on this podcast are instructed not to make specific trade recommendations, nor reference past or potential profits. And listeners are reminded that managed futures, commodity trading, and other alternative investments are complex and carry a risk of substantial losses. As such, they are not suitable for all investors. For more information, visit www.rcmalternatives.com/disclaimer

With every new year, there are new opportunities, and there's no better time to dive deeply into the stock market and tax-saving strategies for 2023 than now. In our latest episode of the Hedged Edge, we're joined by Tim Webb, Chief Investment Officer and Managing Partner from our sister company, RCM Wealth Advisors. Tim is no stranger to advising institutions and agribusinesses where he has been implementing no-nonsense financial planning strategies and market investment disciplines to help Clients build and maintain wealth and reach financial goals since

Inside this jam-packed session, we're taking a break from commodities, and talking about the world of equities, interest rates, tax savings, and business planning strategies. Plus, Jeff and Tim delve into a variety of topics like:

Contact Tim Webb [email protected]

Visit rcmwa.com for more information and be sure to follow them on Twitter and check them out on LinkedIn

And last but not least, don't forget to subscribe to The Hedged Edge on your preferred platform, and follow us on Twitter @ag_rcm, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

With the world population just crossing 8 Billion in November 2022, the details of what it takes to feed the world today and the question of what it will take to feed the world 30 years from now when the population is expected to approach 10 Billion is mind-blowing to many. Today’s guest, Russel Taylor, is an expert on the science behind bringing additional agriculture yield to life through soil health.

Russell Taylor is President of Live Earth Products, Inc., a premium producer of humic shale-derived products. He has spent 20 years mining, extracting, and marketing of humic acid-based products. Areas of experience include; agriculture, turf management, organic fertilizers, animal feed, and soil reclamation. His knowledge has put his company at the forefront of the soil health revolution.

Quick Links from the episode:

For more information visit livearth.com and humictrade.org, follow @livearth on Twitter, and check out their LinkedIn.

Direct questions for Russell: [email protected]

And last but not least, don't forget to subscribe to The Hedged Edge on your preferred platform, and follow us on Twitter @ag_rcm, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

The Hedged Edge is back online with a guest who could be this podcast's most important guest of all time. At a time when inflation is running rampant through the world economy, drought conditions are drying up our rivers, and the global supply of grain is scarce. We are tasked with the question, "what the hell is going on in logistics, and is there any relief in sight?"

To help address these questions and more, I am joined today by a man that needs no introduction to most in the physical commodity sector – Woodson Dunavant with the Dunavant Logistics company based in Memphis, TN.

Quick Links from the episode:

For more information visit Dunavant.com, follow @Dunavant_LTL on Twitter, and check out their LinkedIn & Facebook. 

Direct questions for Woodson: [email protected]

And last but not least, don't forget to subscribe to The Hedged Edge on your preferred platform, and follow us on Twitter @ag_rcm, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

There is an agriculture tug of war happening across the nation, impacting America's farmland. Fertilizer prices are continuously fluctuating, and it has us taking a page from "The Clash" should we stay or should we go?! And, we aren't the only ones. Many farmers are asking their agronomist and chemical salespeople, "What will fertilizer cost me the rest of the season, and what are my options if I don't want to go all-in on my typical fertilizer treatment plan."

In this episode of the Hedged Edge, we are joined by a special guest who needs no introduction in his local circle, Dick Stiltz. Dick is a 50-year veteran of the fertilizer and chemical industry and is the current Agronomy Marketing Manager of Procurement fertilizer and crop protection at Prairieland FS, Inc in Jacksonville, IL. He is at the pulse of the current struggle and here to discuss the topic at hand...Should we stay or should we go…

Episode Quick Links:

https://www.prairielandfs.com/

https://twitter.com/PrairielandFS

https://www.facebook.com/PrairielandFS/

Do you have additional questions, contact Dick at [email protected].

RCM Ag Services is putting a unique spin on National Agriculture Day by going international. That's right, we're jumping right into international waters with Maria Dorsett from USDA's Foreign Agriculture Services for an interesting discussion about linking U.S. agriculture to the rest of the world.

Each year, March 22 represents a special day to increase public awareness of the U.S.'s agricultural role in society, so why not take it one step further by bringing in a global component? As the world population soars, there's an even greater demand for producing food, fiber, and renewable resources. That's why we're taking a deeper dive into the USDA's trade finance programs, like the GSM-102, which supports sales of U.S. agricultural products in overseas markets and supports export growth in areas of the world that are seeing some of the fastest population growth.

So, jump aboard (no passport needed), as Maria discusses how U.S. companies use GSM-102, what the program features, and the benefits that it offers!

Quick Links from the episode:

Educational GSM presentations:

USDA's Export Credit Guarantee Programs

GSM 102

GSM 102 (Spanish)

You can reach out to Maria at [email protected] & by checking out the links below:

https://twitter.com/USDAForeignAg

https://www.facebook.com/USDA

http://www.youtube.com/usda

And last but not least, don't forget to subscribe to The Hedged Edge on your preferred platform, and follow us on Twitter @ag_rcm, LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/2878..., and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RCMAgServices.

A special guest joins us for this episode of The Hedged Edge, who is well known for his many titles, which include Doctor, Editor-in-Chief, Dean, and Chief Academic Officer, just to name a few. Dr. Channa S. Prakash, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Tuskegee University, has served as faculty since 1989 and is a professor of crop genetics, biotechnology, and genomics. He is also well recognized for mentoring underrepresented minority students.

Tune in as biotech guru Dr. Prakash discusses everything from Alabama football, genetics as one of the most extensive agricultural advancements, the most significant risk factors to feeding the world over the next 30-50 years, plus everything in between. And as a bonus, we find out what sport he would be interested in playing if he went professional.

Highlights from this week's episode include:

Quick links from the episode:

And last but not least, don't forget to subscribe to The Hedged Edge on your preferred platform, and follow us on Twitter @ag_rcm, LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/2878..., and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RCMAgServices.

The 2021 U.S. grain crop has the potential to be one of the largest on record. Where did all the yield come from, what areas were the hardest hit, and why on God's green earth are grain prices still so high?

Today, we are joined by several RCM Ag Services grain markets experts from around the country to catch up on a post-harvest update and share an outlook for production and marketing in each of their respective regions for the remainder of the 2021 marketing season and the upcoming 22 crops.

Check us out at www.rcmagservices.com for any follow-up information!

Follow CME Group on Twitter @CMEGroup; learn more about Agriculture Options and the new CVOL Index on their website here https://www.cmegroup.com/agoptions and here https://www.cmegroup.com/cvol.

And last but not least, don't forget to subscribe to The Hedged Edge on your preferred platform, and follow us on Twitter @ag_rcm, LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/2878..., and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RCMAgServices.

For the past year, commodity prices have perpetually soared and continue to trend higher. We're diving into the fertilizer forecast with a unique guest, Billy Dale Strader, a branch manager for Helena Agri-Enterprises in Russellville, KY., who is truly at the epicenter of the rising fertilizer prices.

Billy Dale planted his agriculture roots on his family-owned farm and has managed regional seed and chemical sales at Helena for the past decade. In this week's pod, we tackle the big question for farmers and ultimately end-users — is the impact of higher-priced inputs, like seeds, chemicals, and fertilizer, on the supply and demand for the major U.S. crops? Listen to find out!

Reach out to Billy Dale at [email protected]

Find out more information here: https://www.helenaagri.com/

Follow CME Group on Twitter @CMEGroup; learn more about Agriculture Options and the new CVOL Index on their website here https://www.cmegroup.com/agoptions and here https://www.cmegroup.com/cvol.

And last but not least, don't forget to subscribe to The Hedged Edge on your preferred platform, and follow us on Twitter @ag_rcm, LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/2878..., and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RCMAgServices.

The Hedged Edge is back, and we're jumping into the thick of the commodity markets with RCM’s own King of Cotton – Ron Lawson. Cotton prices have exploded since the COVID crash, rising more than 236% from the March 2020 lows. While prices have backed off from the October 8th high, cotton is one of the purest supply + demand-driven markets around the world and has caught fire along with the global inflation bug currently running rampant across many commodity markets.

Will it be hedge fund influence in cotton that costs consumers more this Holiday season or will the continued logistical issues tie up cotton at ports send consumers scrambling to eBay for their “snuggies”? For cotton producers, merchants, spinning mills, and banks financing the backbone of the cotton supply, risk management must remain at the top of mind for the remainder of this year and into 2022 (as the current cycle is likely to continue to last for at least the next 12-18 months.) We'll dive into the thick of it in this episode and more — Hold on to your hats and enjoy!

Follow CME Group on Twitter @CMEGroup; learn more about Agriculture Options and the new CVOL Index on their website here https://www.cmegroup.com/agoptions and here https://www.cmegroup.com/cvol.

And last but not least, don't forget to subscribe to The Hedged Edge on your preferred platform, and follow us on Twitter @ag_rcm, LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/2878..., and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RCMAgServices.