When do we want it to keep raining?

[freewheat]

A few andom thoughts.

So there is going to come a point where a guy would be better off to just keep getting rain. At what point do we HOPE for rain? Speaking for myself, not a seed in the ground. I'd rather leave it come June 15th, than try and get a crop at that risky time.

Do we order rain after a certain point? I remember 2006 and 07, and about June 10th, I hoped hard for rain to save me from the fate of putting money into a crop that would not make it.

On a happier note, I just remembered my agristability, and my margins are due for a big readjustment due to doubling acres, so a guy may actually do not bad with that ridiculous program.

Just some rambling thoughts. Was in Regina on weekend. Wet EVERYWHERE, lots unseeded, though Lipton/Leross/Ft quap. seem to have a lot done, but its drowning.

When regina gets wet, it is BIG areas of wet. Lots not seeded down there, lots drowning down there.

Creek running, just like 06/07, water table too high. Probably a week of decent weather to get in field here.

Heard rumor, sask will be paying 25 bucks for unseeded acres, this on top of SCIC's 50 bucks. That would help a bit...

Any whoooo, baking cookies with my four year old princess, watching rain outside, better go get 'em before they burn. LOL

[freewheat]

Random thoughts.

[freewheat]

When you say your margin should under go a large adjustment it better get you to a margin per acre of a $140 or better. Going into 2010, our farm is running $179 which should be sufficient to remain above water.

If I have a choice, I would sooner seed the crop by June 15-20th because our acres insured under crop insurance would be far better than the $50 plus whatever else comes.

If you don't know where to get this reference margin per acre it should be with your 2009 application or possibly your accountant sat down with you and has shown you what your adjusted reference margin is going into 2010. Ours does and in fact we have met with him and worked through the calculations of how we stand assuming the 1/2 of our acres grow and average crop and the balance we are not able to seed.

[fjlip]

I agree SK3, try seed by deadline, collect on too wet to seed of balance of acres, apply for agri-stability interim payout,and after the forecast Aug frost we all wait for brown envelopes in the mail, and leave the combines in the shed!. This could be the great equalizing year, hope all have insurance. If it freezes or drowns out, do you have to reseed by June 20 to be in crop insurance? Our margin is $167/ acre, maybe I'll quit swearing at the dumb program this year! Send letters or email to your MLA and MP asap.

[fjlip]

$167 is a great number which should help keep your farm stable and "around"

If it freezes or drowns out, you would have to reseed to make them fully insurable acres. Of course conditions must be reasonable to allow reseeding to take place.

Agristability will classify acres as unseedable because of too wet and they are then treated the same as seeded acres (no structure down)

[cottonpicken]

This is probably the most important thing we could
be discussing right now.

Sask,are you including everything in your numbers
rent/agristabinyouintheback/cropinsurance/next
years fert benefits,etc,etc?

The crops i have left to go go are poorer
coverage,so after spraying a quarter this morning
and testing the limits of my sprayer,im really
wondering.

This was on sandier shit land,for the first time i
dont really envy you heavy land farmers.

[cottonpicken]

I should read more before i post.

Thank you Sask,good info on goodrums post on
agristability.

[wd9]

By margin of 179 do you mean income minus all expenses? Or is that a crop insurance term?

[wd9]

By margin of 179 do you mean income minus all expenses? Or is that a crop insurance term?

[Hopperbin]

I don't think agristability will pay out all the money for 2010 year. Most farms are triggering just on account of lower grain prices in 2009. Now we have even lower prices and a shit load of unplanted acres, drown out crops, and mother nature is not done yet. anyone do any calculations on what this year is going to cost the gov't? I am pretty sure that they are going to hold back payments and in the end only pay out a percentage of what they are supposed to pay, so don't bank or count on getting all the money. WD9 agristability does not count a lot of expenses such as land rent, interest, machinery capital purchases, not sure about machinery leases, vehicle and farm blanket insurances, etc. Oh this reminds me gotta give accountant a big kick in the ass again.

[Hopperbin]

Or if my o9 stability is not done gotta drill them a new ass hole.

[Hopperbin]

$179 is a per acre amount. Total reference margin for 2010 divided by total seeded acres (adjusted for crop share if applicable) . You would need to have basically completed the calculations for 2009 and rolled your numbers forward allowing your 2010 reference margin to be figured out. All if this was done during my March meeting with my accountant to go throught the financial statements and plan 2010.

My accountant's firm (MNP) still prepares the forms in the original design (long format). The new short form introduced in 2007 is useless from my standpoint as it doesn't tell you anything. My agristability package includes the full application of crop production flows, prepaids, etc reference margin and eligible payment calculation and 2010's reference margin (with the assumption my farm size doesn't change). In the 2 years we have received payments, their payment estimate was within 5% or bang on. One year it took 3 attempts and letters to get the administration to include the correct people (a multi-person combined farm because we are not independent from each other and have too many transactions between us) and the right fair values for inventory.

You would think they can get things right at the gov't administration but we learned that you need to calculate the reference margin and the payment calculation otherwise you have nothing to compare to.

[Hopperbin]

Agristability only includes production related expenses:

Seed, fertilizer, chem, fuel, crop/hail insurance, Trucking of grain, selected utilities, wages to non family people plus a couple small others.

It does not include rent, leases, land taxes, interest, repairs etc. These are all variable for each farm. Remember if these costs are not included in claim years they are not included in reference margin years either and therefore so long as they are consistent from year to year, it will not help or harm you.

[Hopperbin]

Thanks Sask. but I don't agree that you need even 150 margin to cover expenses. Perhaps if your leasing a lot of big machinery. Also I know you are very happy with your accounting firm MNP. How do you calculate your fees, I would like to know how much you pay if you don't mind and do you get one fee for everything including agristability or do they charge per hour or combination. Yes a lot of MNPs accountants are farmers and are to the better for it. I am lightening up :)

[freewheat]

My margin is no where near 150 an acre. Can't be. We have only seeded 2 normal crops in the last 5 years. Carrying forward the frost nightmare of 2004, with no inventory to bring to 2005, and my margins I guess aren't really very good at all, if I need 140 an acre. Mind you, I'm talking about a completely different situation, as if I don't get anything seeded, I do not have diddly for expenses comparatively either, I suppose...