Farmland Forecast
"Own a piece of America's Heartland"
Farmland Forecast

Picture of the Week: Sunset in North Dakota

This picture shows a parcel of farmland in Cass County, North Dakota. It is a productive and flat piece of the American heartland that grows corn and soybeans. The black strip running through the middle is called a draw. The draw is designed to carry water off the land to prevent flooding. The draws lead the water to ditches, where it then flows into a larger water source, in this case the Red River.

Remember, we are always looking for agricultural pictures from anywhere in the world. Submit pictures to farmlandforecast@colvin-co.com.


Farmland Real Estate on Hold

(DTN) Farmland owners were told to expect 2012 to be a "year of paralysis" in the general economy when economists addressed the Land Investment Expo here last week. But contrary to popular belief, that might not be so bad for farmland sellers and owners.

"I think agricultural land will do better if we don't have an economic recovery," said Mark Dotzour, chief economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.

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French Corn Farmers Plant Earlier, Lift Yields as Climate Warms

(Bloomberg) Corn farmers in France, the European Union’s largest producer, are planting their crop earlier compared with a decade ago as climate change causes higher temperatures, boosting yields, researchers and growers said.

Corn planting has advanced by about a month, giving crops more time to grow and develop, Jacques Mathieu, head of crop researcher Arvalis Institut du Vegetal, said in an interview this week in Dijon in eastern France.

Average French ...
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Farmland Returns Jump in Q4 2011

(NCREIF) The National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries has released fourth quarter 2011 results of the NCREIF Farmland Index. The total return for the fourth quarter was 8.70%, comprised of 5.11% appreciation and 3.58% income return. This is an improvement from last quarter’s 1.97% total return and last year’s fourth quarter return of 5.79%. Historically, the fourth quarter has been the strongest due to high income returns from the conclusion of the sale of the crops. ... << MORE >>

Rural Mainstreet Index Reaches Five Year High

The rural economy continued to move forward this month, reaching its highest level since June of 2007. The farmland price index fell to a still growth positive reading after reaching a record high level in December 2011.

The Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) advanced to 59.8 from 59.7 to remain growth positive for the fifth straight month and above the 59.3 it posted 12 months prior. The growth is largely due to the areas of the country tied ...
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Video of the Week: 178 Pounds Lighter in MN

This video features Colvin & Co.'s Marc Schober interviewed on FOX 9 out of Minneapolis, MN. Marc lost 178 pounds over 18 months after changing his diet and workout regimen. The keys to loosing such a large amount of weight were eating more vegetables and working out five days per week for Marc.

Remember, we are always looking for agricultural pictures from anywhere in the world. Submit pictures to
farmlandforecast@colvin-co.com

South Africa Corn Export Push May Exhaust Stocks

(Bloomberg) A government-backed plan to export a record corn surplus may leave South African silos drained of the country’s staple food by the end of April.
 
The price of white corn, used to make the corn meal eaten by many South Africans, has risen to a record in Johannesburg and the nation is importing the yellow variety of the grain for the first time in two years. Millers, chicken producers and cattle breeders are facing a surge in ...
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Another Big Month for Meat Exports, Thanks to Japan

(Brownfield) November was another huge month for U.S. pork and beef exports.

U.S. pork exports set another monthly volume record in November—and for the first eleven months of 2011, pork export volume was up 18 percent and pork export value up 27 percent over 2010.

U.S. Meat Export Federation communications director Joe Schuele says one of the highlights on the pork export side is what he describes as “a continued remarkable performance by Japan, which has nearly matched its ...
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Pricing the Good Earth

(Barron's) In the rush for hard assets over the past few years, some investors have planted farmland in their portfolios hoping to harvest nice gains.

On paper, at least, they have. U.S. land values are rising on strong prices for agricultural products, fueled to a great extent by robust exports to emerging nations. Advocates for owning farmland include big-name investors like Marc Faber and Michael Burry. But skeptics wonder whether the boom is setting up investors ...
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A First-Hand Argentina Drought Story

(DTN) Drought has decimated crops for Lee Trimmer, an American who farms in General Villegas in the province of Buenos Aires (five hours west of the city). His farms corn and soybeans over a 120 mile area, but says it’s too late to rescue the corn crop no matter what now. He hasn’t received rain since Nov. 20-25; corn is past silking and produced no ears. He has mowed down corn crop and may reseed with bin-run ... << MORE >>