COLUMBUS, Ohio – With ample corn in storage and weak global demand, many corn producers may be questioning how they should handle their excess corn in 2010 while balancing input costs and still make a profit. They may find answers at Ohio State University's Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference, Feb. 25-26.
Matt Roberts, an Ohio State University Extension agricultural economist, will provide a grains outlook presentation on Feb. 26 at 1:45 p.m. to give growers a glimpse into how grain markets are shaping up for the year.
"Demand hasn't been that strong and now prices have come down on big supply. With the sharp reduction in wheat plantings last fall, there is no need to compete for acres, either. That's going to come into play when the market starts analyzing spring plantings," said Roberts.
The Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference will be held at the McIntosh Center of Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. The two-day conference is a comprehensive program on conservation tillage techniques, crop production management and topics on biofuels, cover crops, precision agriculture, nutrient management, water quality and advanced scouting.
"Growers should be thinking about how prices relate to their cost of production. With increasing variability in grain and input prices, growers need to start thinking more about pre-plant marketing from a profit-margin perspective. They can no longer assume that any given price will be profitable. They need to ask whether they have their input costs locked in before marketing."
Roberts will also be on-hand during the conference to provide information on biofuels and climate change legislation.
The Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference is sponsored by OSU Extension, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Northwest Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Districts, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Farm Service Agency, and the Ohio No-Till Council.
Agenda and registration information can be found by logging on to http://ctc.osu.edu.