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In just a couple of years, Nathan Garner will face a one-of-a-kind job interview.
A U.S. District Court decides the Trump administration didn’t follow protocol
With all that’s going on, did you fail to launch a 2018 strategic planning initiative? Not to worry.
Do you demonstrate the value of learning and growing?
With the number of new job openings expected to increase this year, college graduates may find themselves at an advantage for landing their first full-time job. Agriculture majors offer a wealth of job opportunities in a wide array of areas, and the pace of job growth is expected to sustain momentum. To help develop tomorrow’s agricultural leaders, the America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders program, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, will partner with farmers to award more than $500,000 to deserving students pursuing ag-related degrees in 2018.
Farmers looking for any sign of an economic bright spot for 2017 learned of a modest one yesterday. Net farm income is expected to inch up a slight 3% over 2016 and reach $63.2 billion this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Economic Research Service (USDA-ERS) November Farm Income Report. The small improvement is the first farmers have seen in the last several years but is still less than half the amount farmers saw in 2013, when net farm income reached a record $129 billion.
With water levels in the southern part of the Ogallala Aquafer declining, farmers in western Texas are working to squeeze the most production out of every drop of irrigation water they apply to their fields. With that goal in mind, the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation (TAWC), a partnership between producers, industry and Texas Tech University, has engaged in a series of on-farm trials and demonstrations since 2004. Glen Schur, a farmer from the Texas Panhandle and Chair of the TAWC producer board, recently discussed the results of several comparisons of irrigation technology. In an initial three-year trial in 2011, 2012 and 2013, researchers compared results of using low energy spray application (LESA) with low energy precision application (LEPA) on 80-inch centers, on cotton crops under the same pivot.
Market factors stabilize, hinting at a modest rebound in prices
Do today’s grain prices make you cringe at the thought of marketing grain? Don’t be discouraged. “The market will give you opportunity every year,” says Angie Setzer, vice president of Citizens LLC. “There is a new trading range, $3.50 to $4.50, in corn, which is a bit wider and something to be aware of.” Strong prices tend to be $4 for corn, $10 for soybeans and $5 for wheat, she adds. To take advantage of marketing opportunities in 2017 and 2018, you must be proactive, agile and realistic. Follow these strategies and tips from market analysts.
