Very interesting discussion. Doug Jackson seems to think the whole corn situation revolves around acres and growing conditions.

I have noticed even in Wisconsin dairy country that a lot of hay fields seem to have been plowed or chiseled last fall.

Walt Hackney's comments on the cattle business in the M-M Plus (the second part you can get on line only) were pretty stark.

All in all we may end up looking at the fall of 2006 as a real turning point in American agriculture - away from a time of giving away a valuable, useful product (corn and other crops) for pennies per pound to more of what it is worth.

In the past people have sold landscape ROCK for more per pound than corn! A 56lb bushel of corn sold at $2.00 net say 2.50-basis as it has in recent years is bring to the producer just 3.5 cents per pound!! What other useful product can you purchase for 3.5 cents per pound??? Look at the amount of bottled water being sold these days and what folks pay for water by the pound!

It is a tough time for cattlemen, especially with the losses due to the storms in the west. Rapid transitions such as this are always hard on some folks. I think we will see changes however that get them through and beef etc also will need to be sold for closer to what its true value is. jmho.

Thanks for the reminder on this excellent show. I don't often get to see it but download every one. Thanks to Iowa Public TV too.

Jim at Dawn