MANAGEMENT

Like the rest of agribusiness, hay commerce has been touched by digitalization – specifically the internet. More frequently, we see buyers and sellers meeting over platforms like Craigslist and even Facebook as opposed to the traditional local classifieds.

Flooded hay

Farmers love what they do, and whether they realize it or not, each one lives for the harvest – not just crop farmers with grain harvests but livestock owners marketing animals, along with dairy farms with pounds of milk sent to the creamery.

Drought conditions encompassing the entire western U.S. have producers concerned about declining hay and forage inventories.

In this internet age, it seems that you can learn to do just about anything online. Someone somewhere has posted a video about how to replace a heat actuator on your Chevy, troubleshoot your leaking water heater or get six-pack abs in three minutes. (I found that one on a top 10 “how to” videos list …)

If you file taxes on a cash basis, as most farmers and ranchers do, and you’ve had a good income year, late-in-the-year tax planning may suggest you should increase deductible expenses for the year to keep from paying an excessive amount of income tax.