Nevil Speer
No future in ag? Think again!!!
Several weeks ago I had the privilege to present at NCBA’s Cattlemen’s College (“Finding Profitability In Volatile Times”). Following my discussion there were a number of excellent questions about capital requirements, lending policies, and currency exchange rates.
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AgSight: Worries about ag’s resource use starts at the plate
Vegetarians and vegans consistently argue that meat consumption is inefficient and doesn’t fit within a model supporting sustainability.
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Chicago’s school-lunch chicken misses the mark
August’s AgSight tackled the controversial issue of antibiotic use in food production and its potential role in development of antibiotic resistance.
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Yogi Berra on the markets
Yogi Berra should have been a market analyst. One of my favorite Berra “isms” goes like this: “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.” No one ever said markets always make sense. That’s been especially true in recent months with all of the various macro-factors surrounding the market. It’s also an unfortunate reality and what can make trading so incredibly frustrating at times (and also exceedingly interesting!).
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Commentary: Agriculture can't go back in time
More than ever I find myself reminding my students that agriculture is full of complexities. After all, where else do you find a topic that revolves around biology, engineering, economics, marketing, weather, sociology, politics, etc…? Food represents THE ultimate convergence of disciplines.
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Commentary: Cattle trade higher as markets recalibrate
The markets have seemingly experienced a “hard reboot.” The recent global selloff in equities and commodities indicate market participants are recalibrating. Markets do NOT respond well to uncertainty. Neither do they always necessarily function logically – emotion can become part of the process, too. Fear-contagion and a crisis-of-confidence hit the market hard.
The rapid, widespread selloff resulted from traders reassessing economic conditions and respective investment strategies going forward.
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Agsight: Knowing our food system
My family and I stopped at Starbucks® for some coffee during a recent vacation trip. While getting into line we chanced upon an ongoing conversation between the clerk and the gentleman in front of us
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Short-term perspective of cattle market looks grim
Finally, some reprieve from the fed market’s recent losing streak. June’s first full week of business didn’t really tack on any money but at least trade managed to forego any further losses. Feedyard managers have weathered some tough slugging since the fed market established its seasonal top back in early April. Market action has been nothing but downhill since; in fact, the market has slipped seven out of the past nine weeks.
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Commentary: GMO bashers barking up the wrong tree
College campuses never lack for opinion. Regardless of the subject, if you search hard enough, you’re certain to find a slant. That's by design; academic environments are established to foster free thought.
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Monthly Market Profile: Punching water
No matter whether you’re a trader, producer, end-user, or maybe just a casual observer, and regardless of whether you’re bullish or bearish, it’s likely your primary focus in recent weeks has been on the corn market. Tight supply and wide-spread uncertainty led to anxious anticipation of USDA’s May WASDE report: ‘10/’11 updates coupled with initial ‘11/’12 estimates provide some type of short-run baseline from which the market can work.
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Nevil Speer, MMP: Who's the market expert?
Several months ago a comment from an equity market technician caught my attention. Following his discussion about the current investment environment, the show’s host quipped something to the effect of, “That’s why you’re the expert.”
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- Post-tornado composting a solution for disposal of dead livestock
- Michigan hay buyers should plan purchases early
- Seven jobs more dangerous than farming
- New animal identification rules aid disease traceability
- Drought losses in Oklahoma top $400 million for 2012
- Survey reveals most Americans in favor of COOL
