Category: Grain Marketing

Grain Marketing Strategy and Structure

  • 3 Ways to Manage Income With Real Estate

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]More tips for tax management[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

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    Whether it’s farmland, commercial, or residential real estate, there are lot of income management techniques that real estate is good for.
     Last week, we talked about managing income. We’re revisiting that topic, but this time specifically around real estate.
     Today, we’ll be focusing on the tax advantages of real estate, which I learned from Paul Moore’s book The Perfect Investment, as well as a few real estate deals of my own.

     1) Passive Losses Through Depreciation
     Unfortunately, we can’t depreciate farmland, so farmland doesn’t apply here. Still, farmers can use this option for other real estate investments.
     Let’s say you buy a commercial multifamily apartment complex as an investor or partnering investor. Everything’s depreciable: the furnishings, the parking lot, the apartment building, and more. When you buy that asset, you’re depreciating everything a few years later; you have the depreciation expense.
     The depreciation expense and the operating costs are generally higher than the actual revenues coming from rents. And when you have expenses higher than rents, you don’t have to pay taxes on that. The depreciation is not actually a cash cost: it’s just a removal of the asset value over time. You’re not paying it every month.
     You can actually offset most of the income you get from rental property because of depreciation and operating expenses, which means most of that income will be tax-free.[/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”TRY CASHCOW FARMER FREE FOR 30 DAYS” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2F30daytrial||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] 2) Reverse Mortgage

     When you own land or other real estate free and clear, it’s possible to take out a “reverse mortgage” on the land. It’s 100% tax free, plus you can deduct the interest.
     Let’s say you buy $1 million in farmland. Over time, that land either appreciates or you pay down the debt and you have equity.
     If you have a million-dollar land and half a million dollars in debt that you’re paying down over time, you can go out and refinance that property. This is called a “reverse mortgage.” You can refinance it up to its asset value—$1 million—and put that money in your pocket, tax-free.
     That’s half a million in cash you’ve got for other investments, tax-free. And again, you can deduct the interest.[/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”SCHEDULE A FREE GRAIN MARKETING STRATEGY SESSION” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2Fmarketing-strategy||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] 3) 1031 Exchange
     Generally, when you sell real estate, it’s appreciated from the value you bought it at. You have to pay capital gains tax on assets on which you’ve realized the appreciated value. But you can do a 1031 exchange to counteract that.
     I did this last year when I bought some farmland from my grandma, who’s 91 now. She grew up on the land, and her base was basically nothing: let’s say roughly $500/acre. When I bought that land from her for around $3,000/acre, she would have had to pay capital gains on $2,500/acre, which is about 20%. Huge.
     So she sells me the farmland, and the money goes to an escrow agency. Within six months, you have to repurchase more real estate, and you can actually pass along that basis to future real estate.
     You can do that forever, as long as the new purchase is within six months of liquidating the old asset.. If somebody comes and says they want to buy your real estate, you’ll have to go out and find something to purchase in exchange.
     It’s a bit of work, but you never have to pay capital gains tax. When you pass away, the basis is reset for your heirs.
     Let’s say my grandma bought other real estate for the same price. She had a $500 basis and bought land for $3,000. She basically kicked the can down the road.
     If she passes away and the market is $4,000, because everything is in a 1031 exchange, if my dad inherits it it’ll be at whatever the market is at. My dad’s new basis is not $500, but $4,000 or whatever the market was when grandma passed.

     Conclusion
     I really think you should read Paul’s book. It’s an easy read and pretty short. There are so many ways to help yourself manage your income; it’s just a matter of learning all the tips available.
     This post was based on an episode of the Cash Cow Farmer Podcast. To hear more content like this in audio form, subscribe to the show here.[/vc_column_text][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”40″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”40″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”30″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”20″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row dfd_row_config=”full_width_content” dfd_row_parallax=”off” dfd_row_responsive_enable=”off” dfd_enable_overlay=”off” css=”.vc_custom_1470889834038{background-color: #2d2d2d !important;}”][vc_column width=”3/4″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][ultimate_heading heading_type=”customizable” heading_tag=”h3″ heading_content=”FREE GRAIN MARKETING STRATEGY SESSION!” main_heading_default_weight=”400″ main_heading_color=”#ffffff” subheading_type=”customizable” subheading_tag=”h5″ sub_heading_default_weight=”400″]DON’T LET THE MARKETS WIN…SCHEDULE YOUR FREE SESSION TODAY![/ultimate_heading][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″ column_responsive_mobile_classes=”dfd-remove-right-padding” column_responsive_mobile_resolutions=”dfd-apply-mobile” css=”.vc_custom_1470810100672{padding-right: 2% !important;}”][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”15″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][bt_animation animation_type=”_flipX” duration=”2″ repeat=”2″ allow_margins=”yes” scroll_offset=”5px” no_hide=”yes”][ult_buttons btn_title=” FREE STRATEGY SESSION” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2Fmarketing-strategy||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-large” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][/bt_animation][vc_column_text]

    SCHEDULE YOUR FREE SESSION TODAY!

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  • 3 Simple Income Tax Management Strategies

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]How Farmers Can Ensure They Enter a Lower Tax Bracket[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

    Don’t have time to read? Listen to the podcast here:
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     Income tax is a huge cost on any farming operation, because as farmers we can’t depreciate land purchases.
     Since tax season is coming up, it’s time to talk about some of the best income tax management strategies for farmers. Here are three of the best. (more…)

  • Real Estate Valuation Strategy for Farmland – Cap Rate

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]1-jpg
     It’s always a challenge to value real estate, especially when it comes to farmland.
     After reading Paul Moore’s book The Perfect Investment, my perspective on valuing real estate at a professional and investment level was changed dramatically.
     So many farmers only think about the dollar per acre amount and not what Paul talks about in his book: “cap rate.” Today we’re going to unpack cap rate and how that makes a difference when you’re valuing real estate. You’ll learn how you can put a number all the real estate values that you operate on your farm. (more…)

  • 5 of Ghengis Khan’s Strategies To Conquer Modern Farming

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Strategy learned from the great Khan[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]0_22
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     You may be wondering: what was I reading to come up with this title?
     It’s true that I finished a book called Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. But I’ve studied Genghis Khan quite a bit in the past as well.
     The reason why is that the Mongol dynasty made Alexander the Great’s look pitiful. Genghis Khan reorganized the world: he connected China to the west and developed gunpowder. For around 100 years in the 12th and 13th centuries the Mongols dominated from Italy to China, to Russia, to India, to Turkey—basically most of the known world.
     The Mongol warriors would easily defeat the huge European armies. After engaging in battle for a short while the Mongols would ride away as if in retreat. They would then lead the overconfident European armies into a trip and easily defeat them.
     Granted, Genghis Kahn was about the worst human being you can imagine. He would go into a city and kill everyone if they didn’t cooperate.
     But on strategy alone, there’s a lot for farmers to learn from Genghis Khan and the Mongols.

     1) Speed and efficiency
     Speed and efficiency were the Mongols’ secret weapons. They would travel lighter than everyone, unlike big armies with huge caravans. Even though each warrior had five horses, as long as they had good pastures they were good.
     The Mongols would eat mice and birds, and their armor and clothing were sewn-together skins of field mice. They’d drink muddy water and turn raw meat into a form of jerky by sticking it under their saddles. While frozen lakes were a barrier to most, the Mongols would make skates and speed across them.
     Let’s connect that to farming. If you’re efficient, farming same amount of land with half the machinery as another farmer, that’s going to pay big dividends.
     I’ve got a neighbor with a 120-foot corn planter, and he can plant all of his corn in less than a week. It blows me away, since most farmers take a month or at least a couple of weeks.
     Everyone thought he was nuts buying that planter, but it’s paid off.[/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”TRY CASHCOW FARMER FREE FOR 30 DAYS” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2F30daytrial||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] 2) Winning battles without fighting
     The Khan would intimidate cities into submission before losing any of his men, which is why he was able to conquer so much, so fast. He’d go to the smaller cities and scare everybody, then overwhelm large cities who were brimming with refugees and conquer them.
     With farming, what I’m talking about here is reputation management. I know some farmers who say, “I don’t know why they wouldn’t sell land to me or rent the land to me.” The answer could be related to reputation.
     It doesn’t mean you have to go out and donate all your money, but getting things without fighting for them is the moral of this one. If you can have a good reputation in your community and give back, you’re going to get opportunities when people retire and so on. The community of farming is tight-knit, so keep your reputation positive. Pay it forward as they say…

     3) Strength in intelligence—not in numbers1-1_8
     Every morning, Mongol scouts had a routine making sure things were good within their army. Then they would scout everything, sometimes for years in advance, seeing what kind of weaponry and tactics various civilizations used.
     In agriculture, think about what happened when commodity prices drove way up. A lot of farmers, because of poor intelligence, set themselves up for failure with huge purchases and liabilities that could only be sustained under such inflated market prices.
     Khan was known for going into a situation way before and being smarter than the competition (in his case, they were enemies). If you can analyze the value of expanding your farm to certain properties, or buying certain machinery, you’ll be looking at basic return on investment and making sure your operation will be positively impacted.
     At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much you farm. What matters is the bottom line. [/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”SCHEDULE A FREE GRAIN MARKETING STRATEGY SESSION” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2Fmarketing-strategy||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] 4) Swift and reliable communication
     The Mongols were illiterate. Can you imagine trying to communicate across a growing empire or on a battlefield without written words? They would communicate by sound, with arrows that they would drill holes in.
     And all the orders would have to be spoken man to man. Remember telephone? Imagine playing it while in war. What they would do was develop the orders into a rhyming song and add verses as information got added, making sure it was catchy so it never got distorted.
     In agriculture, we’re not developing rhymes, but we are communicating with our employees. I’d say communication is one of the biggest causes of inefficiency in most modern farms. Almost everything that goes wrong ties back to miscommunication, whether it’s a truck driver who sells under the wrong entity or one who goes to the wrong field, or whatever.
     Have systems in place where your team has a daily huddle, a weekly recap, or something of the sort.

     5) Undeniable loyalty
     The Khan was ingenious in securing loyalty. He was extremely generous to his troops.
     Most generals would take all the good stuff and leave the leftovers to their men, so they were never loyal and would leave for the next best opportunity. But he had a rule that if a soldier died, his family would get a soldier’s share in the proceeds. So people were not afraid to die, whereas most of the time back then if you died your family was done for.
     You can garner that same loyalty in your own employees. If you reward them for their good work, you’ll have a loyal team that takes ownership for their work, and you’ll see tremendous results.

     Conclusion
     Farmers can take all the good strategies of Genghis Khan and be set to run a very successful operation.
     You should probably avoid all the murdering and pillaging, though.

     This post was based on an episode of the Cash Cow Farmer Podcast. You subscribe to it on iTunes here.
     Or if you don’t use iTunes, you can listen to every episode here.[/vc_column_text][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”40″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”40″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”30″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”20″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row dfd_row_config=”full_width_content” dfd_row_parallax=”off” dfd_row_responsive_enable=”off” dfd_enable_overlay=”off” css=”.vc_custom_1470889834038{background-color: #2d2d2d !important;}”][vc_column width=”3/4″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][ultimate_heading heading_type=”customizable” heading_tag=”h3″ heading_content=”MAXIMIZE PROFITS WITH CASHCOW FARMER!” main_heading_default_weight=”400″ main_heading_color=”#ffffff” subheading_type=”customizable” subheading_tag=”h5″ sub_heading_default_weight=”400″]POWERFUL FARM FINANCIAL SOFTWARE THAT IS AFFORDABLE & EASY TO USE![/ultimate_heading][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″ column_responsive_mobile_classes=”dfd-remove-right-padding” column_responsive_mobile_resolutions=”dfd-apply-mobile” css=”.vc_custom_1470810100672{padding-right: 2% !important;}”][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”15″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][bt_animation animation_type=”_flipX” duration=”2″ repeat=”2″ allow_margins=”yes” scroll_offset=”5px” no_hide=”yes”][ult_buttons btn_title=” FREE 30 DAY TRIAL” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2F30daytrial||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-large” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][/bt_animation][vc_column_text]

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  • 7 Strategies to Farm Like Famed Investor John Templeton

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]00
    Don’t have time to read? Listen to it here:
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     John Templeton is one of the most famed investors of all time.
     This is a guy who in 1939 bought $100 worth of all stocks traded under $1, and by 1943 he had four times his money. He’s up there with the greats.
     His strategies, and the way he built his wealth, were so brilliant that I think there are a lot of key values and structures that we could apply to our farming operation to help us be more consistent, profitable, and smart.
     For starters, his key values were hard work, punctuality, and commitment, which are obviously useful in any business context.
     Beyond that, here are 7 strategies you can use to farm like John Templeton.

     1) Buy depressed assets
     This strategy is exactly what Templeton did in the example of 1939 above. The stocks he bought under $1 were depressed assets.
     Farming is depressed right now, too. This year may be the best time to buy farm assets. At the end of the year, there are probably going to be some auctions that are worth going to, especially if you’ve got equipment that needs upgrading.
     You can see the fear in agriculture right now: people are concerned about commodity prices, and there’s going to be a lot of bankruptcy with people who are overextended and a lot of auctions where there just aren’t buyers. If you’re wanting to buy a little equipment or land, and you’re not yourself overextended, this is a great opportunity.

     2) Avoid the noise
     After living in New York City, John Templeton ran his investment fund from his home in the Bahamas, far away from the noise of Wall Street. He would spend hours on the beach every day reading through investment reports.
     The further he got away from the noise and the day-to-day emotions in the thick of things, the more successful he became. His investment performance just about quintupled when he moved to the Bahamas.
     It’s the same thing with a farmer: when you’re on the frontlines, you can’t make good choices. There’s too much information.
    01_2
    [/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”SCHEDULE A FREE GRAIN MARKETING STRATEGY SESSION” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2Fmarketing-strategy||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] Try to take regular trips. Go to the lake on the weekend; spend some time in a quiet wood somewhere.
     I try to leave the state for five days every month, resetting my brain. I call it “sharpening the saw.” It’s just like exercise, except mental. When I first started farming, I’d drive to California twice a year, a 25-30 hour drive, and in the car I solved most of my business challenges.
     Avoid the noise, so you’ll know what to do when you’re back in it.

     3) Don’t do what everyone else is doing
     Templeton said that if he wanted to outperform all the other investment managers, he couldn’t read or do the same things they were doing.
     You’re not going to outperform the herd if you’re traveling with it. In fact, you can use the advice from the herd as a contrarian indicator.
     In recent years, when you look at the crazy herd mentality that put a lot of farmers out of business, it’s clear that it didn’t work. Fortunately, I was too new, dumb, and poor to make really bad decisions when I started out farming. I wasn’t haven’t good yields because I was just breaking up land when the prices were good, but it allowed me to cash flow that freshly broken sod.
     If you could go back and recreate what happened, what would you do as a farmer? You definitely wouldn’t be going out locking yourself into several years of high-cash rent. You wouldn’t be buying high-priced land or upgrading all your machinery at once just to avoid some taxes.
     We need to rewrite our own histories and say, “This is what I would’ve done.” The opportunity will come again, and you can handle things differently this time around.

     4) Go where others fear going
     People would ask Templeton where the outlook for opportunities was good. According to him that was the wrong question: instead, you must look where the outlook is miserable to find good investments.
     Think about when oil got down to $30 a barrel and everybody freaked out. What if you’d bought a ton of oil stocks instead? You’d be sitting pretty.
     It was the same case with silver recently, and my best-performing stock this past year was in silver. When you can buy a company for less that what their assets are worth, you’ve got to do it.
    1-1_7
    [/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”TRY CASHCOW FARMER FREE FOR 30 DAYS” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2F30daytrial||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] 5) Look to the future—not the present—when valuing assets
     Whenever John would look at buying a company, he would have his analysts forecast the price-to-earnings ratio five years down the road. Think about oil: if it’s $30 today, and we project it to be $50 in five years, the company will be worth a whole lot of money.
     It’s the same with agriculture. Set yourself up so that five years down the line you’re in a great position when times are tough. That’s the kind of forward thinking that will set you apart.

     6) Break complex things down into things that are simple
     When people asked Templeton what his approach was, he would simply say, “Buy cheap stocks.” Not cheap in regard to great value, just cheap depressed stocks.
     He’d figure out which were the good companies that were just in an industry that was hated. When the whole sectors go down, good companies get devalued. You can pick them up for pennies on the dollar.
     For the complexity of grain marketing, Cash Cow Farmer has a 5-step process for building a bulletproof grain marketing plan for our customers. Breaking it down into a process makes it way easier than trying to decide how you’re going to sell your grain at the top of the market and forecast the futures. If you don’t break marketing down, it becomes a behemoth that’s impossible to take down.

     7) Delegate weakness
     Most investment funds hire analysts and manage the business themselves. Templeton loved the analytical work, so he would outsource the management and just focus on picking winners.
     On the farm, if you’re good at operating machinery and growing commodities in the worst possible environment, that’s where you should focus your effort—not on business strategy or marketing if that’s not what you like to do. A lot of farmers love the work of producing grain, but sell it at inconvenient times and limit their profitability or even sell for a loss at times.

     Bonus: Time management
     Templeton always carried books and papers with him, so that if he had any extra time he would have something productive to do.
     While you’re sitting in line at Walmart, waiting to check out, there’s no reason you can’t check the markets, reach out to your team, or read an article about farming. Or while you’re sitting in line at the elevator, listen to podcasts or a book on tape.
     Anything to be productive. That’s the “John Templeton Way.”

     Need something to listen to while you’re waiting around at the elevator? Check out The Cash Cow Farmer Podcast, where we give advice every week on running your farm operation like a Fortune 500 company.
     If you don’t use iTunes, you can listen to it here.[/vc_column_text][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”40″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”40″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”30″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”20″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row dfd_row_config=”full_width_content” dfd_row_parallax=”off” dfd_row_responsive_enable=”off” dfd_enable_overlay=”off” css=”.vc_custom_1470889834038{background-color: #2d2d2d !important;}”][vc_column width=”3/4″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][ultimate_heading heading_type=”customizable” heading_tag=”h3″ heading_content=”FREE GRAIN MARKETING STRATEGY SESSION!” main_heading_default_weight=”400″ main_heading_color=”#ffffff” subheading_type=”customizable” subheading_tag=”h5″ sub_heading_default_weight=”400″]DON’T LET THE MARKETS WIN…SCHEDULE YOUR FREE SESSION TODAY![/ultimate_heading][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″ column_responsive_mobile_classes=”dfd-remove-right-padding” column_responsive_mobile_resolutions=”dfd-apply-mobile” css=”.vc_custom_1470810100672{padding-right: 2% !important;}”][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”15″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][bt_animation animation_type=”_flipX” duration=”2″ repeat=”2″ allow_margins=”yes” scroll_offset=”5px” no_hide=”yes”][ult_buttons btn_title=” FREE STRATEGY SESSION” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2Fmarketing-strategy||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-large” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][/bt_animation][vc_column_text]

    SCHEDULE YOUR FREE SESSION TODAY!

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  • Top 2 government programs for low prices

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When times are tough, there’s help at the local FSA[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]0_18
    Don’t have time to read? Listen to it here:
    [smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/cashcowfarmer/Top_2_government_programs_for_low_prices_Master.mp3″ social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ]

     On some commodities, we’ve hit some pretty interesting times. This is especially true with wheat.
     Sometimes we just have to be patient for something bad to happen to put prices up. In the meantime, I want to talk about two programs that are essential to a farmer’s cash flow through a tough time like this, if they don’t have the grain sold in advance.

     1) Commodity loans
     We’ve talked about commodity loans, I don’t know, maybe 1,000 times? There’s a reason why, though.
     They’re useful.
     You can find the full information about commodity loans here, but basically if you’re going to put grain in the bin and you have any sort of opportunity to prepay for stuff, taking a commodity loan may be just what the doctor ordered.
     A commodity loan is for nine months. The interest rates are 1% above the rate borrowed by the U.S. treasury. Last year I borrowed the grain I did a commodity loan on at 1.25%, which is very very good.
     The only downside about commodity loans is that the government always seems to find a way to run out of money. So lending money to farmers is not as important as other things. The FSA could run out of money, technically, and run out of credit.
     But the downside doesn’t outweigh benefit in this case. Take advantage of commodity loans.
    1
     The rates are different depending on where you’re at, as you can see. It’s not a lot compared to what you’ll get at market, but at least you’ll have some cash at low interest to get you through. And if you can use it to prepay and get 10% discounts ahead of time, you’ll be ahead in the long run.[/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”SCHEDULE A FREE GRAIN MARKETING STRATEGY SESSION” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2Fmarketing-strategy||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] 2) Loan deficiency payments
     This is something that hasn’t happened in farming in a long time.
     You can find a link to LDP rates, and how they’re calculated, here. But here’s how it works:
     LDP rates are determined by the amount the applicable commodity loan rate exceeds the determined value, which is the lesser of either:

    • 30-calendar day Posted County Price (PCP)
    • Alternative PCP, which is a 5-calendar day rolling average.

     In my area, the alternative PCP was $2.87 when I took this screenshot, and the loan rate was $3.03 for hard red winter wheat, so there was a $0.16 LDP.
     Basically, for the grain you have, you can either take a loan on it (a commodity loan, which we just talked about) or you can take an LDP payment. At the point of taking an LDP payment, you can’t take a commodity loan, but the government will give you the difference between that cash price and loan rate, which for the wheat example was $0.16. It’ll give you that price based on how many bushels you want to do it on.
     There are some mitigating circumstances: you have to have control of the grain, for example.
     LDP payments are something you can do for things like wheat. I hope you won’t need it for corn: that would meant the cash price is less that $1.83, which I don’t see happening. But for the folks who have wheat, this is a great way to get money out of it without selling it. Or you could take the LDP and then sell it, getting another $0.16.[/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”SCHEDULE A FREE GRAIN MARKETING STRATEGY SESSION” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2Fmarketing-strategy||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] More on PCP
     There’s the 30-day Posted County Price (PCP), then there’s an alternative PCP, which is a five-calendar-day average instead of 30. So if we have a huge drop in commodity prices, that alternative PCP will pick that up.
     In the wheat example, the alternative PCP was $2.87. The 30-day was $4.24. Obviously, the moving average is going to be a lot flatter because it’s a 30-day average. There’s a huge difference between the two.
     PCP is different in every county, again, so go to your local FSA to figure out. There’s a lot to it, but it’s worth doing your homework on. And it’s a part of farming if you want to take advantage of opportunities.

     Conclusion
     That’s it! I think I’ve made this as confusing as possible.
     But really, it’s actually simpler than it looks. You’ve got to pick one, a commodity loan or an LDP payment, and at that point it’s up to you. It’s different for everybody, which is why having a custom approach to this grain marketing is so important.

     Speaking of grain marketing advisory, check us out. We’ve got your back![/vc_column_text][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”40″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”40″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”30″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”20″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row dfd_row_config=”full_width_content” dfd_row_parallax=”off” dfd_row_responsive_enable=”off” dfd_enable_overlay=”off” css=”.vc_custom_1470889834038{background-color: #2d2d2d !important;}”][vc_column width=”3/4″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][ultimate_heading heading_type=”customizable” heading_tag=”h3″ heading_content=”MAXIMIZE PROFITS WITH CASHCOW FARMER!” main_heading_default_weight=”400″ main_heading_color=”#ffffff” subheading_type=”customizable” subheading_tag=”h5″ sub_heading_default_weight=”400″]POWERFUL FARM FINANCIAL SOFTWARE THAT IS AFFORDABLE & EASY TO USE![/ultimate_heading][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″ column_responsive_mobile_classes=”dfd-remove-right-padding” column_responsive_mobile_resolutions=”dfd-apply-mobile” css=”.vc_custom_1470810100672{padding-right: 2% !important;}”][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”15″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][bt_animation animation_type=”_flipX” duration=”2″ repeat=”2″ allow_margins=”yes” scroll_offset=”5px” no_hide=”yes”][ult_buttons btn_title=” FREE 30 DAY TRIAL” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2F30daytrial||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-large” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][/bt_animation][vc_column_text]

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  • 5 tips to decide whether or not to store grain

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]0_16
    Don’t have time to read? You can listen to it here:
    [smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/cashcowfarmer/5_tips_to_decide_whether_or_not_to_store_grain_Master.mp3″ social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ]

     By the time this goes live, we’ll probably be in harvest.
     It’s important to think about where commodity prices are right now and what to do with grain that you haven’t sold.
     So I want to put together a few things for farmers to think about when it comes to storing grain.

     1) Storage costs per month
     If you have grain that you haven’t sold, you have to take into account your storage costs.
     The co-op is probably the most expensive option, usually anywhere from $0.03-$0.07 a month. Every month, you’ll lose that storage cost on that grain.
     That’s a big move in the commodity market, especially for corn. So if you plan on selling in July and you’re going to pay seven months of storage, you’ll have maybe $0.35 of storage costs you’ll have to take into your calculations. It may be better to sell it and buy it back on paper, or just flat-out sell it and wait for next year.
     You can also have condo and on-farm storage. Just know this: there’s always a storage cost.
     It’s not always easy to tell, especially with on-farm storage, because it’s not a flat rate. The costs could be loss of grain due to mold, a hotspot getting into the bins, running your fans, or unloading all your trucks then unloading the bins and the potential danger to your employees they bring.

     2) Basis at harvest
     We’ve talked about basis a lot before, but it’s especially important when figuring out what to do with your grain.
     Look at your basises on your different commodities and figure out, given the average of your past five years, where you’re at on basis? Is it a good basis?
     The main purpose of storing grain on your own farm is to take advantage of an improved basis later on in the year—so make sure that’s the case. You’ll need to beat the cost of loading and unloading bins plus storage costs with basis improvements of at least $0.30.
     If there’s a huge harvest in your area, then the basis isn’t going to be good at harvest. However, if the harvest isn’t great in your area, because of a drought or whatever, you may want to look at selling.
     Look at your five-year average, and figure it out. The basis will tell you what to do with your crops. [/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”TRY CASHCOW FARMER FREE FOR 30 DAYS” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2F30daytrial||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] 3) Carry in deferred contracts
     With all futures, there are several contracts every year. The deferred contracts are any of the contracts after harvest and before next year’s harvest.
     Most people are going to look at July for corn versus December. If you look at the December contract and it’s trading at $3.30 and the July contract is trading at $3.50, that’s 20 cents just in holding your grain for six months.
     Then you look at storage costs and the potential basis movement. It doesn’t make sense to store if there’s no carry in the market, and you want to take advantage of that carry when it’s big.

     4) Cash flow needs
    1-1_4
     At the end of October is the first prepay date for 2017 corn seed. I feel like they get earlier every year, wanting my money to buy seed for next year, even though I’m not going to plant till April or May.
     Make sure you have cash on hand in the fall to cover your debt payments and availability to a line of credit (or cash of course) to prepay the seed, because if you pay now, the discount those companies are willing to pay you is huge, even 10% off your seed. That’s not even including all your volume discounts.
     If you want to be the lowest-cost producer, you’ve got to make sure your cash flow is on point to take advantage of all the early-pay discounts.[/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”SCHEDULE A FREE GRAIN MARKETING STRATEGY SESSION” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2Fmarketing-strategy||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] 5) Opportunity cost of capital
     When you decide to either convert your grain to cash or to put it into bins, remember that grain in a bin is only valuable to a couple of people. Cash, in contrast, is valuable to a lot of people. You can invest in other ventures, pay for a financial advisor, and do a ton of other things.
     That’s the opportunity cost of capital, which a lot of people don’t think about. What can I do with cash today instead of hoping for more later from the grain in my bins? Is there anything I can invest in today? More farmland, an upgrade in tractors?

     Conclusion
     Neither selling all grain at harvest or storing it in grains is always the right answer. The best choice depends on a variety of factors, some of which I’ve included here.
     My best advice is this: just don’t do what you’ve always done just because it’s how you’ve always done it. Look at your options, put in the work to forecast your costs, and make the best financial decision for your farm.
     Need help sifting through your options? Let us know what you’re going through—we offer free grain marketing strategy sessions.[/vc_column_text][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”40″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”40″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”30″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”20″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row dfd_row_config=”full_width_content” dfd_row_parallax=”off” dfd_row_responsive_enable=”off” dfd_enable_overlay=”off” css=”.vc_custom_1470889834038{background-color: #2d2d2d !important;}”][vc_column width=”3/4″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][ultimate_heading heading_type=”customizable” heading_tag=”h3″ heading_content=”FREE GRAIN MARKETING STRATEGY SESSION!” main_heading_default_weight=”400″ main_heading_color=”#ffffff” subheading_type=”customizable” subheading_tag=”h5″ sub_heading_default_weight=”400″]DON’T LET THE MARKETS WIN…SCHEDULE YOUR FREE SESSION TODAY![/ultimate_heading][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″ column_responsive_mobile_classes=”dfd-remove-right-padding” column_responsive_mobile_resolutions=”dfd-apply-mobile” css=”.vc_custom_1470810100672{padding-right: 2% !important;}”][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”15″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][bt_animation animation_type=”_flipX” duration=”2″ repeat=”2″ allow_margins=”yes” scroll_offset=”5px” no_hide=”yes”][ult_buttons btn_title=” FREE STRATEGY SESSION” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2Fmarketing-strategy||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-large” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][/bt_animation][vc_column_text]

    SCHEDULE YOUR FREE SESSION TODAY!

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  • Why most farmers fear grain marketing

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Refocusing for better results[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]0_13
    Don’t have time to read? Listen to it here:
    [smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/cashcowfarmer/Why_Most_Farmers_Fear_Grain_Marketing_Master.mp3″ social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ]

     In my mind I have a job, separate from my farming operation.
     It goes something like this: learn as much as I can, try to relate it to farming, and write or share content that relates to farmers.
     That’s what I did with the most recent Tony Robbins documentary. I’m a big Tony Robbins fan; he’s helped over 50 million people, and he’s a pretty amazing guy. When I watched the documentary, I learned something that I think is relevant to farmers and grain marketing today—fear is our biggest problem.
     It’s a fear that’s built over time. The way to fight your fear is to figure out what stresses you out in your business or life and keep digging down. Eventually, you’ll find that fear is underlying all your stress.
     For most farmers, the biggest fear is selling grain at the wrong price.
     Harvest isn’t that stressful: there’s a system for it, and it’s not that different from last year. The marketing is where farmers struggle the most. So how do we eradicate our fear?

     Suffering and beauty
     Not to get too deep into the kumbaya stuff, but . . . In life there is suffering or beauty.
     Suffering is usually based on fear. It’s fear of failure, uncertainty, or tragedy that underlies our feelings about grain marketing.
     Beauty is based on gratitude: our kids, wife/husband, the warm summer rain on our thirsty crops, and so on.
     Every thought will put you into a state: productive/unproductive, happy/fearful. You can tell the difference. 1[/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”SCHEDULE A FREE GRAIN MARKETING STRATEGY SESSION” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2Fmarketing-strategy||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] When I mention grain marketing to farmers, their whole body language changes. They could be as confident as possible, then the rainfall pours over them, and they say, “You had to bring that up?”
     With grain marketing, there are a lot of bad habits. We may make a sale, think it’s the best we’ve ever made, then watch the markets go higher and higher the next day. That translates to deep-rooted fear, and farmers become worse and worse at marketing as they try to keep doing it on their own. That’s what wrecks them in the end.
     Farmers focus on their mistakes, which turns marketing into a fear-based part of the business. If they don’t have to sell, they’ll just sit on the grain, because if you don’t make a decision, you haven’t made a mistake. I’ve met some great farmers who are sitting on two years of crop, which amazes me every time.
     There has to be a better way. Let’s get specific about how to push back against your natural fear of grain marketing.

     2 ways to overcome fear
     1) Change your focus
     Change your focus and you will change your results. We learn the most from our failure.
     Start to change your focus by appreciating. Frame that one great sale you made at the top 5% of the production. Highlight your successes. Think about your kids, wife, parents, and the fact that you feed the world.

     2) The best way to overcome fear is to outsource it
    2-2_3
    [/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”TRY CASHCOW FARMER FREE FOR 30 DAYS” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2F30daytrial||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] Look at your grain marketing, at why there was so much failure. It’s different for everyone.
     Double down on your strengths and outsource your weaknesses. If you’re a hell of a planner and love the markets, develop a team to run the farm.
     However, for the most part if you’re running a farming operation, spending a lot of time looking at the futures markets isn’t feasible. At Cash Cow, we work closely with Randy Martinson, who analyzes the markets every day. Leaning on his expertise, we build custom strategies for farmers so they can focus on running an efficient operation.
     It may seem simplistic, but this is a perfect example of outsourcing your fears.

     If I was to go back to college to learn computer programming, I wouldn’t be able to write these blogs and run a podcast for farmers. I wouldn’t have the time.
     It’s the same thing with grain marketing. I’ve got tons of books on my shelf about markets, portfolio management, economic cycles, financial analysis… I’ve done a lot of education personally, trading for over a decade, and I still make mistakes. That’s why I outsource my grain marketing to Randy.
     Unless you devote 100% of your time to studying the markets, it’s extremely hard to banish your fear of grain marketing without help.

     Conclusion
     We do grain marketing strategy sessions. Whether you become a customer or not, we try to help you develop a strategy and figure out if there’s a better solution out there. We’re familiar with our competitors, and if what we offer doesn’t make sense, we’ll pass you along to them.

     Try out a free grain marketing strategy session with us. We would love to absorb some of the fear you have about grain marketing.[/vc_column_text][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”40″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”40″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”30″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”20″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row dfd_row_config=”full_width_content” dfd_row_parallax=”off” dfd_row_responsive_enable=”off” dfd_enable_overlay=”off” css=”.vc_custom_1470889834038{background-color: #2d2d2d !important;}”][vc_column width=”3/4″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][ultimate_heading heading_type=”customizable” heading_tag=”h3″ heading_content=”MAXIMIZE PROFITS WITH CASHCOW FARMER!” main_heading_default_weight=”400″ main_heading_color=”#ffffff” subheading_type=”customizable” subheading_tag=”h5″ sub_heading_default_weight=”400″]POWERFUL FARM FINANCIAL SOFTWARE THAT IS AFFORDABLE & EASY TO USE![/ultimate_heading][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″ column_responsive_mobile_classes=”dfd-remove-right-padding” column_responsive_mobile_resolutions=”dfd-apply-mobile” css=”.vc_custom_1470810100672{padding-right: 2% !important;}”][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”15″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][bt_animation animation_type=”_flipX” duration=”2″ repeat=”2″ allow_margins=”yes” scroll_offset=”5px” no_hide=”yes”][ult_buttons btn_title=” FREE 30 DAY TRIAL” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2F30daytrial||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-large” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][/bt_animation][vc_column_text]

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  • Is ag retail the enemy?

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Making sure the farmer gets the best value[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]0_12
    Don’t have time to read? Listen to it here:
    [smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/cashcowfarmer/Interview_with_Andy_Wuebben.mp3″ social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ]

     It really depends on a few things.
     I had the pleasure of recently interviewing Andy Wuebben, partner at Vertical Exchange, on the Cash Cow Farmer podcast. The Vertical Exchange team are basically middlemen between several verticals, including farming, connecting buyers with suppliers.
     By ag retail, we’re referring to the CHS’s, the wheat growers, the giant co-ops of the world: the people who tend to cover a certain region. For instance, if you take South Dakota ag retailers, they have a home base in one town and will cover several around that with distribution, but their goal is to provide the grower with the inputs necessary to run their operation. And they usually do a great job.
     There’s my answer to our question overall: they are not the enemy. They provide a value add to the grower.
     Sometimes, though, they can be enemies to farmers. Or at least hindrances.

     In what situation would the ag retailer be the enemy?
     Innovation does not happen on a regional basis. It happens in a lab environment or with engineers at a company’s headquarters.
     So if you’re a grower buying your inputs, you’re not relying on your retailer to tell you about innovation. You have to find sources where you go out and do that yourself. That may be trade shows, conferences, etc.
     Vertical Exchange is saying, “We’ll take the top growers and connect them with the people who are innovating.”
     The ag retailer can disrupt that communication. They’re not necessarily going out there to find what the next best product for the grower is. They’re looking at their portfolio today and are not as worried about the portfolio of the future.

     The way that farmers are getting information on innovation today is at farm shows. What’s your opinion on that, since it’s all salespeople at farm shows?
    1
     You can break farm shows into two categories:
     1) Large national shows
     2) Regional shows
     It can be difficult to get a good perspective in regional shows because you don’t typically have corporate representation. But at large national shows, you have a phenomenal representation of senior leadership.
     That is, if you can get to the shows. Some of them are in very remote locations.
     Vertical Exchange is trying to carve out a unique value proposition: those shows have to present to the larger groups, whereas Vertical Exchange tries to customize to each individual operation. That’s why they only select 25 growers from across the Upper Midwest: so the grower can get a presentation specifically tailored to his/her agricultural region.[/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”SCHEDULE A FREE GRAIN MARKETING STRATEGY SESSION” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2Fmarketing-strategy||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] What’s been the feedback?
     There is a 50-75% plus success rate when it comes to a grower identifying a supplier. When it comes to the equipment category, you’ll see a 15-20% plus success rate on identifying something that can uniquely bring success to your operation.2-1_3
     It’s easy to understand why their business model works. For product engineers, it’s great to sit across the table from a business owner (which is what you are).
    Growers who know how to efficiently run an operation can and should impact the development of their product solution, if that solution is going to be used by a grower. They should be doing everything they can to sit down one-on-one with business owners who can provide feedback for them about a successful platform for their product.
    [/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”TRY CASHCOW FARMER FREE FOR 30 DAYS” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2F30daytrial||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] Conclusion
     I deal with this a lot with the Cash Cow’s farm management software. A lot of our competition is venture capital firms that funded a bunch of engineers in Silicon Valley to develop software for farmers. When you look at the software, you can tell these guys have never run a farm before.
     The data entry model and the way that stuff is gathered doesn’t make sense from a farmer level. So they could use a service like Vertical Exchange.
     I get it, though. It’s tough to be both efficient and personal at the same time, for a software to automatically know what’s best for a person.
     You’ve got to have a personal dialogue with people, which is why we offer personal grain marketing plans as well as software. We know that people need to trust us to believe we can improve their operation.

     For more on Vertical Exchange, you can visit their website. [/vc_column_text][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”40″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”40″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”30″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”20″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row dfd_row_config=”full_width_content” dfd_row_parallax=”off” dfd_row_responsive_enable=”off” dfd_enable_overlay=”off” css=”.vc_custom_1470889834038{background-color: #2d2d2d !important;}”][vc_column width=”3/4″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][ultimate_heading heading_type=”customizable” heading_tag=”h3″ heading_content=”FREE GRAIN MARKETING STRATEGY SESSION!” main_heading_default_weight=”400″ main_heading_color=”#ffffff” subheading_type=”customizable” subheading_tag=”h5″ sub_heading_default_weight=”400″]DON’T LET THE MARKETS WIN…SCHEDULE YOUR FREE SESSION TODAY![/ultimate_heading][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″ column_responsive_mobile_classes=”dfd-remove-right-padding” column_responsive_mobile_resolutions=”dfd-apply-mobile” css=”.vc_custom_1470810100672{padding-right: 2% !important;}”][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”15″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][bt_animation animation_type=”_flipX” duration=”2″ repeat=”2″ allow_margins=”yes” scroll_offset=”5px” no_hide=”yes”][ult_buttons btn_title=” FREE STRATEGY SESSION” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2Fmarketing-strategy||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-large” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][/bt_animation][vc_column_text]

    SCHEDULE YOUR FREE SESSION TODAY!

    [/vc_column_text][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”10″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”10″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”10″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”15″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”15″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”10″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • 7 reasons you should kiss your American soil – Ukraine farming

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]27429_blogimages_080316-01
    Don’t have time to read? Listen here:
    [smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/cashcowfarmer/7_Reasons_You_Should_Kiss_Your_American_Soil_-_Ukraine_Farming_Master.mp3″ social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ]

     Recently I spent a week in Ukraine.
     My dad had done quite a bit of business in Ukraine with his invention the Anderson Opener, and we used to have Ukrainian agronomists live at our farm during the season to test solutions for farming in our fields.
     I visited a company called Agro-Soyuz in eastern Ukraine, about 100 miles from where the war’s going on with Russia.
     Agro-Soyuz has a huge manufacturing facility, massive parts distribution, a farm operation of about 25,000 acres of corn, sunflowers, wheat and soybeans, plus a few other businesses. You go anywhere near it, and everyone has heard of the facility. It’s just amazing: they’ve got cattle, pigs, ostriches, and even a bunch of german shepherds that guard the factory.
     I had really wanted to visit the company and the partners ever since my dad told me about it as a kid, so I did. But I also learned a bunch of things that made me want to come back and kiss my American soil.

     1) No private property rights
     You cannot own farmland in Ukraine. You can build buildings and own land in that regard, but you cannot own farmland.
     Imagine if you couldn’t farm your own land, if everything you farmed was guaranteed to be rental property…
     The people at Agro-Soyuz have 25,000 acres and 700 landlords. Those landlords can’t sell their farmland, and they only own about 10 or 20 acres each. So they own these tiny patches, which have been stitched all together.
     In one large field you may have 100 landlords, who aren’t necessarily getting the same rent. It’s just a crazy mess.

     2) War
    27429_blogimages_080316-02
     We were 100 miles from actual war. At the risk of stating the obvious, that’s just not an environment to be in. What an enormous risk factor for anyone trying to do business in the area.
     Be thankful. I mean, it’s war. When’s the last time you had a war within 75 miles of your farm?

    3) Massive business corruption
     When I was in Ukraine, I met a guy in Kiev (the capital) who builds skyscrapers.
     I asked him about building permits, thinking there must be a lot he had to obtain to build skyscrapers. He told me it was necessary to offer bribes for all building permits. It’s total corruption: you have to bribe everyone in business, so you have to have a lot of money to really get anything done.
     Sounds expensive—not to mention exhausting.[/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”TRY CASHCOW FARMER FREE FOR 30 DAYS” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2F30daytrial||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] 4) Currency collapse
     We’ve all heard these people on the radio warning that the U.S. dollar’s going to collapse, that we should all buy gold and silver. While there’s some validity to that warning, the United States has a fairly stable currency by comparison.
     In Ukraine, it used to be that 1 U.S. dollar would get you 8 hryvnia (their currency). So, the ratio was 1 to 8.
     At the peak of the war, when Russia took the Crimean landmass from Ukraine, it was 1 to 49.
    27429_blogimages_080316-04
     Think about it: phones, cars, and computers are mostly imported there. What if all of that—and everything you buy—all the sudden became six times more expensive overnight?

     5) Machine gun management
     The police and laws are corrupt in Ukraine, so businesses basically take what they want from other people. It’s a crazy situation.
     When I was over there, the partners actually told me, “Yes, we want to add another 25,000 acres to the farm, but without corruption the cost just to take over the leases will be several million.  Being an honest businessman in Ukraine is very challenging.

     6) Extreme interest rates
     Some of the people I met had lived in the United States. One man said, “It’s amazing. In America, I wanted to buy a Volkswagen one day, so I went to the dealership and got a new car.” He took out a loan and by the end of the day had a new car.
     In Ukraine, if you want to do that same deal, assuming you could convince the dealership you would pay them back, your interest rate would be somewhere between 20-25%.
     To put that in perspective, every three years, you’ve bought the entire car again. And interest rates would be the same if you tried to borrow money to operate your farm.[/vc_column_text][ult_buttons btn_title=”SCHEDULE A FREE GRAIN MARKETING STRATEGY SESSION” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2Fmarketing-strategy||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-small” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][vc_column_text] 7) Low access to capital
     Because of all of the above, there is extremely low access to capital in Ukraine. Who would want to put money into a country that goes through that volatility in interest rate and currency and is experiencing war?
     Further, few people put their money in Ukrainian banks; they generally use Turkish or American banks for protection. If politicians try to get into those banks, they’re going to have problems. They’ll get crushed.
     All the local banks are corrupt. They have an FDIC, which is a deposit guarantee, for about $2,000. In the U.S., the guarantee is for about $175,000. So if the bank goes broke, you don’t lose more than that.
     Imagine if you couldn’t trust the banks here. And not everyone there has access to non-local banks.

     Conclusion
    27429_blogimages_080316-05
     The lesson at the end of the day? Kiss your American soil.
     You have it good over here. So do I. If you want to confirm that reality, go to a few other countries—even the more developed ones. The grass isn’t always greener.
     We’ve got a lot to be thankful for.
     Farmers have never had great access to business resources. When the tough times came in 2014, I built the Cash Cow Farmer Software Program. Basically, it simplifies the business side of farming and makes it easy so farms can be run like Fortune 500 companies. There’s no reason every field in your operation shouldn’t be profitable.
     If you’re interested in running a farm like a Fortune 500 company, try out our free trial.[/vc_column_text][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”40″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”40″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”30″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”20″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row dfd_row_config=”full_width_content” dfd_row_parallax=”off” dfd_row_responsive_enable=”off” dfd_enable_overlay=”off” css=”.vc_custom_1470889834038{background-color: #2d2d2d !important;}”][vc_column width=”3/4″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][ultimate_heading heading_type=”customizable” heading_tag=”h3″ heading_content=”MAXIMIZE PROFITS WITH CASHCOW FARMER!” main_heading_default_weight=”400″ main_heading_color=”#ffffff” subheading_type=”customizable” subheading_tag=”h5″ sub_heading_default_weight=”400″]POWERFUL FARM FINANCIAL SOFTWARE THAT IS AFFORDABLE & EASY TO USE![/ultimate_heading][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”25″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”25″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”15″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”10″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″ column_responsive_mobile_classes=”dfd-remove-right-padding” column_responsive_mobile_resolutions=”dfd-apply-mobile” css=”.vc_custom_1470810100672{padding-right: 2% !important;}”][dfd_spacer screen_wide_resolution=”1280″ screen_wide_spacer_size=”15″ screen_normal_resolution=”1024″ screen_tablet_resolution=”800″ screen_mobile_resolution=”480″ screen_normal_spacer_size=”0″ screen_tablet_spacer_size=”0″ screen_mobile_spacer_size=”0″][bt_animation animation_type=”_flipX” duration=”2″ repeat=”2″ allow_margins=”yes” scroll_offset=”5px” no_hide=”yes”][ult_buttons btn_title=” FREE 30 DAY TRIAL” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcashcowfarmer.clickfunnels.com%2F30daytrial||target:%20_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_size=”ubtn-large” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#00ab61″ btn_hover=”ubtn-fade-bg” btn_bg_color_hover=”#ffffff” btn_title_color_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left” btn_border_style=”solid” btn_color_border=”#ffffff” btn_color_border_hover=”#00ab61″ btn_border_size=”2″ btn_font_size=”18″][/bt_animation][vc_column_text]

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