While farmers understand they can’t control the weather, many of them do what they can to minimize its impact. Too dry? Irrigate. Too wet? Drain it. Both of these options can be effective in improving crop yields, but, typically, they are costly options that result in paybacks that can take several years to realize.

A diversified farming operation made up of two partners were committed to planning and sustainable growth. At the same time, they knew they needed a conservative long-term focus that would allow them to adjust quickly to seize opportunities when they were presented.

In the last issue of Farm Equipment, we featured an in-depth special report on “Cost of Doing Business” (CODB). Based on the data compiled over the years by various dealer associations, our coverage addressed how to use the industry benchmarks established by the annual dealer survey as well as the progress, or lack thereof, the industry has seen in the past 4 decades.