11-4 IAN Travis on Grain

 A talk about farm economics. I’m DS…

I’ve said this over and over…over the years and I’ll say it again. I don’t know where you can find a group of people, executives, tradesmen, lawyers, doctors, etc. that have a wider skill set than farmers who have to be chemists, botanists, meteorologists economists and more. I had a talk with Travis Jones, Executive Director of the Idaho Grain Producers Association the other day. I was trying to understand the economic interplay between corn and wheat on the commodities exchange. His answer clarified things for me and may help you understand the changing world of ag economics in Idaho: “It’s really based on the exchanges. You have the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, you have Kansas and Chicago and they follow each other based on growers and the nation and where corn and wheat are planted. There’s a lot of factors involved. They usually compete for acres. Not particularly in the NW but we are seeing a growing trend in Idaho where corn has a strong foothold in our state and in our traditionally grain production regions, wheat and barley so now we’re seeing a closer relationship between the two.”

Thank you Travis, that makes things clearer. Let us know what you’re up to on the web site.