I consider the following announcement very good news for the dairy industry! On January 3, 2020 Coca-Cola Company announced that it has acquired the remaining stake in fairlife, LLC from its joint venture partner Select Milk Producers. Coca-Cola now owns 100% of fairlife, up from its 42.5% minority stake. Why is this good news? Obviously
Is a Farmland Investment Fund a Match for Your Operation? Where will a fund fit into a landowner’s goals? Every operation is different. For instance–do you own land without a solid succession plan? i.e. the next generation is not interested in continuing ownership? If so, perhaps one of the funds would provide the opportunity to
Anyone farming in the Midwest in 2019 understands “challenges!” I believe it is clear by any measure that we have set a multitude of records during this year. e.g. most rain in April, May (and June?). Latest planting dates in history. Most acres of prevent plant. And the year is not yet finished. Farmers must
Are we watching a new and broad shift in ag production with the new wave of vertical farming? Will it bring more opportunities to the Midwest? Several firms such as “GreenSense Farms” in Portage, Indiana and “MightyVine” in Rochelle, IL are creating new production techniques for growing fresh produce year-round. These are occurring in either
Resistance to Change I was recently in a small group meeting where we were discussing a major change for our new church. As with many churches today, we are facing changes in our location and our facilities, which makes our congregation nervous, anxious and skeptical. This, in turn, zaps the energy level of many members.
“The Costco Connection” magazine Helps Tell the Farmer’s Story I recently read an article entitled “Food 2.0” by Hana Medina in a somewhat unlikely magazine, “The Costco Connection”. Perhaps it should not be such a surprise, as Costco highly promotes a “Farm to Table, the Costco Way” program. On many products, they identify the farm
Love Your Neighbor By Craig D. Mann Some of you are too young to remember the days when baling and corn shelling jobs were plentiful. The phone used to ring frequently at our house those summer evenings, and generally speaking, my three boys had a job the next day. Preceding those times, I can remember
One door closes, another opens—God provides opportunities where we least expect it! Proverbs 16:3 reminds us: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” Do you ever pause and wonder—How did I get to this position in life? For me, sometimes it is almost over-whelming all the steps that have
The Chicago Federal Reserve recently released their 4th Quarter 2017 AgLetter. They reported a year-over-year 1% increase in “good” farmland values across the 7th District (including IL, IN, IA, WI and MI). However, Illinois reported a 1% decline in values; with IN, IA and WI all gaining 2-3% for 2017. Fur-ther, northern Illinois reported a
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