ChadSmithMedia

The Society of the Leadfoot Car Show

San Francisco, California, traffic in the afternoon can be a bit much, especially if you’re from a small town in the Midwest. However, Dustin Little, a native of Castlewood, South Dakota, makes the trip twice a day to and from work. The small-town native recently finished his fourth season as the Head Athletic Trainer for the San Francisco 49ers. Life in the NFL is known as a “grind” for players…

Shipping commodities up and down America’s inland waterway system got pretty hard to do in 2022, especially along the Mississippi River. Extended drought cut water levels to almost impassable levels and resulted in shipping grinding to a halt in the river. The good news is those levels are finally beginning to rebound. Mike Steenhoek is the executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition,…

Plant-2023 is already on the minds of farmers across the country. As proof, Farm Futures recently did a survey of farmers in all parts of the country who will get right to work this spring. Jacqueline Holland is the grain marketing analyst for Farm Futures. Even if wheat plant-2023 does put a cap on corn and soybean plantings, Holland says American farmers are still going to plant a whole bunch…

2023 and the year ahead for the ag economy

David Widmar, an agricultural economist with Agricultural Economic Insights. (Photo from http://www.aei.ag) 2023 and the ag economy combine to produce some trepidation as we look to next year. While the ag economy is doing okay despite several challenges like supply chain delays and high input costs, the question is how long this will last into next year. I talked with David Widmar, an…

Ag economic conditions strong, but for how long?

Nate Kaufman of the Omaha branch of the Kansas City Fed. (Photo from kansascityfed.org) Ag economic conditions are still quite strong in 2022, but how long will that last?  Nate Kaufman, vice president and Omaha bank executive for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, spoke during the recent Agricultural Outlook Forum in Kansas City. He told the audience during a presentation that incomes are…

Commodities, Sports, and Prognostication

Commodities and sports typically don’t go together most years. However, this fall, the two topics have come together in an interesting way. Being a long-time sports broadcaster, I’ve noticed that when the major sports seasons wrap up, certain sports media love to immediately do what they call a “way-too-early” look to the next season. Evidently, it’s not just a sports thing. I know harvest is…

Rain Finally Shows In Farm Country Last Weekend

Rain. Finally. Last weekend saw at least some rain in parts of farm country. Had a chance to talk with John Baranick (rhymes with mechanic), ag meteorologist for DTN, who lives just down 169 from me in Jordan, Minnesota. He says while the rain benefitted the parts of rural America stuck in a drought, other areas didn’t need a lot of rainfall. 2021 “It wasn’t just here in southern Minnesota. We…

Market Prices are Still Higher, But How long?

Market Prices are still higher, but for how long? Commodity markets are rarely dull and sometimes are outright wild. One-quarter of the way into 2022, and we’ve seen a lot of upward pressure in several commodities. The curious question is how long is this going to last given multiple outside factors that could bring the higher push to a halt. Mike Zuzolo is the founder and president of Global…

Port Slowdowns Continue – What’s Behind the Congestion

Port slowdowns are still clogging up the nation’s supply chains, and it’s a big problem to solve. Ray Bowman is Director of the Small Business Development Center of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties in Southern California. He’s also the program chair for the District Export Council of Southern California. The business veteran and trade consultant said things have improved a bit but only on one…

Boom Island in Minneapolis – Take Two

Boom Island Park in Minneapolis is one of my favorite places to explore in the Twin Cities. In fact, it was the first place I went to when I got bit by the exploring bug. Well, now that Derrick moved to Minnesota, it’s time to start showing him some of my favorite places in the Twin Cities (and there are a LOT of them). Boom Island Park in Minneapolis and what remains of the island it used to…