Minding Ag's Business

In its August update forecasting farm income, USDA bumped up net farm income for 2017 to $63.4 billion nationally, a $1.9 billion increase, or 3.1% higher than 2016's net farm income.

A Federal Reserve economist will brief the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors next week on the overall state of the ag economy. Crop prices remain a concern, but demand has helped support large crops, and land values have not fallen in line with the decline in crop prices or...

The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association is reporting an upsurge in scams of the theft-by-fraud variety, aimed at ranchers and producers. Here are some tips for protection.

Your canvas is more than just a mural of assets, spreadsheets and documents.

In his final column, Danny Klinefelter reflects on the past, and shares some final points he wants readers to take seriously.

If you're looking to add a seasonal member to your team, consider whether they should be classified as a part-time employee or as an independent contractor. Making the wrong choice could result in fines and penalties.

When most farmers look at their financial ratios, they analyze either their trends over time or relative to benchmarks. But it's also helpful to dig into what is driving their bottom line and to do "what if" analysis to see the impact different changes would have.

Lessons can be learned from a brewery empire that fell into financial ruin.

If you own land, livestock and equipment, the question of how to be fair when transitioning assets to the next generation is one of the most difficult subjects you face.

Here are the most common hiring mistakes farms make and what they can do about them.

Ag lenders and Extension services need to immediately begin educating borrowers about finance and the basics of management to help producers survive the downturn in the ag economy.

A memorial service for Marcia Zarley Taylor will be held March 26.

Funeral arrangements for Marcia Zarley Taylor.

This week, farmers lost one of their most intelligent, steadfast journalist supporters. Agriculture journalism lost one of its true giants.

Another wave of farm exits will likely occur in this business cycle, with operators downsizing their high priced rents or established operators close to retirement opting to quit rather than lose equity. That can create opportunity for well-managed operations aiming to farm...

Credit problems are concentrated in larger scale farm operators, economist Dave Kohl warns.

Some 150 leading farmers are assembled in Austin to brainstorm solutions and beef up their business skills.

Online ag real estate websites offer a wealth of information at the public's fingertips, but can't replace appraisers' human touch.

Families can borrow tips from professional mediators to resolve internal conflicts before they split relatiions or their business apart.

When DTN asked representatives from four progressive grain farms how they planned to "Farm Strong" in 2017, they responded with determination that you wouldn't expect, given the headlines we see for commodity markets short-term.