2013 LOGAN COUNTY FARM OUTLOOK MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com October 25, 2013 Page 5
It isn’t
grandpa’s
farm anymore …
In fact, farming has changed so much in
the last five years that it isn’t daddy’s farm
anymore either.
Even though the farms in Logan County
have some of the best soils in the Midwest,
a long growing season, and one of the
best-developed supply chains in the ag
business, challenges abound. Gone are
the times when hard work and a little bit of
luck can produce a crop that is profitable
and sustaining.
Significant changes on the farm and in the
world have caused producers to rethink
their approach, and some conditions
currently beyond their control have been
a complete game changer for the farming
business.
Farmers regularly have to reinvent their
approach to meet the challenges they face,
and the current dilemmas require clear
analysis, continuous research, careful
planning, cautious investment and a
creative approach. A concerned outlook
questions whether the current direction of
development is the right direction.
In this issue of Farm Outlook, we look
at some of the major changes that have
affected the business of farming and how
suppliers and producers are addressing
those changes, from weather and climate
change to costs and selling price, from
technology and engineering to global
economic conditions and a workable
financing strategy.
The current generation of producers and
suppliers know that it isn’t grandpa’s farm
anymore. And what really concerns them
is whether it will continue to be their farm.
Page 2 Year in Review by John Fulton
Page 7 What about the weather?
Page 11 Costs grew and income shrank for producers in 2013
Page 15 What do the trends tell about cash rent vs. share rent?
Page 19 Advances in the cab -- Is it luxury or is it safety?
Page 25 Actively changing the game: On-Farm Storage
Page 29 Emerging in the age of technology; Central Illinois Ag,
the second 115 years
Page 32 Do we have new variables in insect, disease and weed control?
Page 38 A further review of pest management and crop control options
Page 42 The evolution of farming from accounting to accountability;
Decision-making based on accounting
Index
