Due to increased value of crop production, the value of land for most counties in N.D. has been considerably higher than in prior years.

With increased economic freedom, people lead more prosperous and happier lives. People enjoy these benefits while maintaining, and possibly enhancing, social trust and civic engagement.

In some years, the former Soviet Union is up to 24 percent of the world trade. This almost compares with adding the equivalent of two times the exports of Canada onto the world market.

Although lenders rely upon cash flow measures to justify loans, they also rely heavily upon the balance sheet, specifically agricultural assets, to provide security and strength to loan decisions.

Beef byproducts include all edible and inedible items from harvested cattle that are not part of the dressed carcass.

It is just as important at this time to consider the volatility in agriculture as it is to focus on recent declines in crop commodity prices. Do you know what you will do with your earnings if crop commodity prices rebound?

Recent studies suggest that total average per capita meat consumption in China could grow from about 60 kilograms in 2010 to nearly 100 kg per person per year by 2030.

Advancing computer models are offering new opportunities to analyze business performance.

Each decision has its advantages, rules and limitations.

New technology and improved practices have resulted in average U.S. corn yields rising from 20 bushels per acre in 1930 to more than 150 bushels per acre today.

It became clear that the farmers interviewed are, in fact, using economic criteria in their decision rather than what initially appeared to be convenience factors. They just did not use the specific economic criterion I expected.

Through the years, fertilizer use has increased substantially in the U.S. and use in other countries also is expanding.

During the most recent time period (2007 through 2012), farmers are relying more on retained earnings to build net worth than asset revaluation. In other words, most farmers have been using their earnings wisely.

UAVs will improve precision agriculture by collecting larger amounts of data in a shorter period of time.

If a consumer does not care for a particular food, there are almost always plenty of alternatives, and many consumers have the income to pursue those alternatives.

The rising popularity of chicken wings is an interesting success story and also an interesting lesson in economics.

There are a multitude of factors impacting the shipping market. Major factors include strong growth for several of the major commodity segments, with the growth in Bakken oil and crop shipments being the most notable.

The USDA market information and outlook forecasts make an easy target for marketing analysts and farmers because they often question and sometimes criticize the information contained in key reports. However, we often do not think about what might happen if this information was not available “free of charge” to the general public.

There is a lack of consensus among economists on the impact trade liberalization has on technical efficiency.

Farmers have diversified their crop selections to reduce the risk of diseases, pests and price volatility.

What influences the adoption of conservation practices by farmers and ranchers?

Consider the combination of circumstances that have fueled the strong land market and whether increases will continue.

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The CTR will focus on risk and commodity trading, in addition to finance, portfolio analysis and management.

The most important questions about ACRE enrollment are whether the state will be eligible for an ACRE payment and for how much.

Farmers have experienced high demand and prices for their crops the past few years. However, farmers and experts agree that these conditions cannot be sustained forever.

Can we produce enough food to feed the world population in 2050?

Remember that prices for each market class of cattle have different seasonal patterns, so at times 2013 prices for some market classes (feeder calves in particular) likely will be below last year.

The first step in assessing market conditions and assigning subjective probabilities to price movements is to become familiar with the underlying supply and demand conditions for the crop under analysis.

Specialty crops play a major role in North Dakota’s agriculture.