Latest News From Sara Schafer

The ISOBUS implementation task force in North America is joining with groups in Europe and Brazil to form the Ag Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF) to achieve greater improvements in plug and play compatibility.

Steve Kay, of Cattle Buyer''s Weekly, says today's reports can be regarded as slighly positive.

Use these previous Farm Journal stories to learn more about variable-rate technology.

See Farm Journal Editor Pam Smith''s video and audio reports during the the Bayer CropScience Herbicide Innovation Tour.

Use these links to find more information on the Milk Income Loss Contract program and Cooperatives Working Together.

Listen to Adam Davis, invasive weed management research ecologist for USDA Agricultural Research Service, describe what farmers need to know about this invasive species.

Here are some tools that can make your field scouting effective, and more comfortable.

A-Series Skid Steer Loader Safety and Operating Tips: Video

Check out these books and resources for more information on passing along your intangible legacy.

Here’s more information on the South American corn crop.

Quarterly Engery Update and U.S. Beef Cow Areas Experiencing Drought.

Click on the following links to find land value surveys for Iowa and Illinois.

Use these resources to help combat diseases in your fields.

Racehorse flats is what the locals call the area where I grew up in Illinois. There are a variety of reasons for that moniker, but I generally correlate it with the insanity that occurs when area farmers try to be first to the field come spring.

The reality of taxes is that they are a longterm strategy, and farmers can utilize them in their business to a competitive advantage, says Lance Fulton, tax consultant with Kennedy & Coe.

Use these two sites to learn more about assessing your financial health.

See how ethanol plants and all grain buyers compare in basis prices.

Use the following link to find more information about agricultural transportation.

Read the full report from the University of Minnesota.

Learn more about the “Million-Dollar Farms in the New Century” by USDA’s Economic Research Service.

Learn, watch and read more about Poet''s Project Liberty and their goal of cellulosic ethanol.

Use these helpful sites to plan for the weather.

Read more about succession planning and Farm Journal Media''s Legacy Project.

Visit the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s site on weather and climate. You’ll find maps, tornado data, climate change and more.

Listen in as Farm Journal Machinery Editor Margy Fischer visits with Kinze Manufacturing’s father-and-daughter leadership team Jon Kinzenbaw and Susanne Veatch.

Input costs for 2009 are projected to be two to three times higher than previous years, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Extension. To help producers keep their heads above water during these challenging times, UNL Extension is offering online resources targeted to decrease production costs.

Report highlights

Glenn Grimes offers his analysis of the January 23 report

Read La Nina weather updates from Allen Motew, QT Meteorologist.

View the 2008 and 2010 charts for expected income growth.

Find out what you need to know if buyer goes bankrupt.

Read the bonus material for this topic.

Read more about the seed industry’s quest to double yields.

Find more information about specialty entries available for seeding in 2009.

Don''t miss a detail. Read more on the Top 25.

Use these links to learn more on the info presented in Top Producer''s Profit Puzzle series.

Find further information from Chris Hurt, Purdue University Extension economist.

See the results of a recent Top Producer survey, which dives into the many sins producers make in marketing their business.

Learn more about the pests that can steal your yields.

Download these budgets to get your farm ready for 2009.

Learn more about the corn harvest and collection equipment, along with Project Liberty, a Poet cellulosic ethanol facility in Emmetsburg, Iowa.

Learn more about the trials and troubles for farmers in Iraq.

Learn more about Monsanto Company’s Roundup Ready Performance Plus program.

Learn more about the Mitchells’ use of technology in their farming business.

The Association Equipment Manufacturers has released its annual forecast for U.S. agricultural machinery sales, providing an overall snapshot of manufacturers’ predictions for 2009 business.

Commentary from Jerry Gulke, Strategic Marketing Services, Chicago

Check out this extra information concerning the Top 25 events that have affected agriculture in the past 25 years.