MARKETING SOYBEANS: A SURVEY OF SEASONAL PRICE AND PRICE VARIATION CHARACTERISTICS

The focus of this study is to review the seasonal structures of the soybean market for the period 1988 through 1999, and to suggest in broad terms the main management implications for those that seek to improve their marketing performance.Crop Production/Industries, Marketing,

BOOM AND BUST IN THE '90S: THE STORY AS TOLD BY CORN

Crop Production/Industries,

Minnesota Agricultural Economist 698

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

THE CURRENT AND FUTURE WORLD FOOD SITUATION: IS THERE AN EMERGING FOOD SHORTAGE?

This paper gives an overview of the current and projected food situation in the U.S. and the world.Food Security and Poverty,

WEATHER MARKETS: U.S. CORN AND SOYBEANS

Marketing,

NEW MARKETING ISSUES VIA PIK CERTIFICATES

The Food Security Act of 1985 permits payment of farm program benefits in part with PIK certificates. PIK certificates can do things that cash alone cannot do. This special capacity gives PIK certificates special value. A market determined premium has existed for them from the beginning. Briefly during the harvest of 1986, premiums were as high as 30 percent. To date, premiums have rarely been much less than 5 percent. In this paper we will attempt to better understand the reasons for the PIK certificate premiums and explore an alternate design of the system that would, for the most part, eliminate them. A second objective of this paper is to understand how the special powers of PIK certificates are capable of changing the market environment itself. The fact that PIK certificates can acquire grain owned by the CCC, in the Farmer Owned Reserve, in the Special Producer Storage Loan Program, or under 9-month loan at approximately current market prices is an important change in the rules. Previously, CCC inventory had been available to the market only at prices well above the loan rate, with minor exceptions pertaining to the condition of the grain. Farmer Owned Reserve inventory was available at prices at or above a trigger-release price. The traditional 9-month loan program and the SPSLP tend to support prices at levels above the loan rate plus interest carrying charges. The availability of these supplies to the market via a new set of rules creates a radical new market environment, something closer to a free market (Kennedy) (Westcott and Hanthorn). Additional topics discussed include the role of PIK certificates toward alleviating storage shortages, toward creating a defacto marketing loan, and toward possible USDA control of regional markets.Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance,

MINNESOTA CURRENT FARM SITUATION

These papers describe the current economic conditions and outline some of the opportunities facing Minnesota farmers as they complete 1998 and develop plans for 1999. The first paper, Prospects For Farm Income in 1998, describes the variation in net farm income farmers in the Southeastern and Southwestern Farm Management Associations have experienced over the past twenty years. The possible effects of 1998's low commodity prices and government program payments on net farm income are discussed in the context of this historical variation. This paper points out that some farmers are experiencing a very good year in 1998, while others may have very low net farm income this year. Those with high incomes in 1998 may be primarily interested in opportunities to enhance their cash flow for 1999, while those experiencing financial stress during 1998 may need to consider a wider range of adjustments as they plan for the coming year. The remaining papers provide information farmers may want to consider as they plan their marketing and financial strategies for the coming year. Financial Management Alternatives outlines a wide range of financial management alternatives that can be used to deal with cash flow problems. Some of these alternatives will be of interest to farmers who have difficulty in projecting a positive net cash flow with the relatively low commodity prices being projected for 1999. Others are of primary interest to farmers who have relatively high debt levels and must find ways to improve both their net cash flow and their debt/asset position. Some observers have suggested that the low commodity prices projected for 1999 may lead to reductions in cash rental rates. The paper, Cropland Rental Market Impacts of Low Crop Prices, discusses a procedure to estimate "fair rental rates", and provides an historical perspective of the impact low commodity prices have had on land rental rates. The remaining two papers, Situation and Outlook For the Livestock Sector, and Considerations in Developing a Corn/Soybean Marketing Plan for 1998/1999, discuss the major factors to evaluate and options to consider in developing a marketing plan for corn, soybeans, hogs and cattle for the coming year.Farm Management,

Cross hedging agricultural commodities

1 online resource (PDF, 12 pages)This archival publication may not reflect current scientific knowledge or recommendations. Current information available from the University of Minnesota Extension: https://www.extension.umn.edu

Rethinking place and the social work office in the delivery of children's social work services

Limited attention has been given to the concept of place in social work research and practice. This paper draws on the national evaluation of social work practices (SWPs) in England undertaken between 2009 and 2012. SWPs were pilot organisations providing independent social work services for children in out-of-home care in five sites. One factor distinguishing some of these pilots was their attention to place. The evaluation employed a mixed methods approach and we use data from interviews with 121 children and young people in out-of-home care, 19 birth parents and 31 interviews with SWP staff which explored their views and experiences of the SWP offices. Children and young people were alert to the stigma which could attach to social work premises and appreciated offices which were planned and furnished to appear less institutional and more ‘normal’. Daily interactions with staff which conveyed a sense of recognition and value to service users also contributed to a view of some SWP offices as accessible and welcoming places. Both children and parents appreciated offices that provided fun activities that positioned them as active rather than passive. Staff valued opportunities for influencing planning decisions about offices and place was seen to confer a value on them as well as on service users. However, not all the SWPs were able to achieve these aspects of place, and engaging children and families in place was less likely when the service user population was widely dispersed. Recognising the importance of place and how place is constructed through relationships between people as well as through the physical environment appeared to be key to creating offices that combated the stigma attached to out-of-home care. Those leading and managing children’s services should explore ways of involving local communities in planning social work offices and turn attention to making these offices accessible, welcoming, places

Contribution of body mass index to postoperative outcome in minority patients

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the association of body mass index (BMI) category with short‐term outcomes in minority surgical patients—a relationship that previously has not been well characterized. METHODS: Data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program were used to calculate the BMI of minority patients undergoing surgery from 2005 to 2008. Patients were stratified into 5 BMI classes. Stepwise logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios for mortality after controlling for known clinically relevant covariates. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Morbidity and mortality at 30 days, across all 5 BMI classes. RESULTS: Among 119,619 minority patients studied, 50% were African American, 36% Hispanic, 10% Asian and Pacific Islanders, and 4% American Indian and Alaskan natives. Seventy percent were overweight or obese. Women were more likely to be obese or severely obese. The overall mortality rate was 1.5%, and this varied significantly by BMI class. Distribution of 30‐day mortality demonstrated a progressive decrease, with the highest risk of death in the underweight class, and the lowest risk of death in the severely obese class. This relationship was maintained, even in patients with at least 1 major postoperative complication. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of being overweight or obese was high in this nationally representative cohort of minority surgical patients. Although BMI class is a significant predictor of 30‐day mortality, the effect appeared paradoxical. The poorest outcomes were in the underweight and normal BMI patients. Severely obese patients had the lowest risk of mortality, even after experiencing a major postoperative complication. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2012; © 2011 Society of Hospital Medicine.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90173/1/958_ftp.pd