Mr. Bean

Mr. Bean really led the markets this week with the help of Mr. Wheat and Mr. Corn. Or maybe it is the other way around. The markets closed strong this week after a weak Friday close and have added a whole new look at 09, 10 and 11 year markets. Lots of grain bins got cleaned out last week but some folks have a few to go! The market got rewarded with lots of 2010 sales and some even got started on 2011. Farmers like me are sitting here and wondering what the heck?

I squeezed in a tour of the Delta this week with Bayer Crop Science and Mr. Bean. Mr. Bean is a nice young guy who was sweating like the rest of us in that picture. It would have been sweet to have the grandkids in hand when he got off the bus ready to start loading onto the Mississippi Queen for a river tour and dinner.

That wasn't fair to us or Father Corapi yesterday as we had to switch gears from dealing with a very unusual summer to dealing with a very unusual time for religious and non-religious alike with all the problems we have created as individuals and as a society. Father never let us down as he spoke on the social standing of the church in these wild times we live in. He had plenty of material to work with!

The seventh commandment means a whole lot more than not killing your brother Cain though he raises cane with you. One of the Respect the Rotation breakouts had us making absurd statements like "I would like to kill anyone who destroys my crop potential like not using a pre-emergence herbicide on theirs." The farmers who used glyphosate alone on RR crops have increased weed pressure on that wonderful herbicide to the point it doesn't work right anymore. Then we had to build statements that would encouragement people not to do the wrong and easy thing.

It was a good week. It was a very hot week across the nation but still a good week. As you can see I have and we all have a lot to think about today, from business to personal and from societal to spirtual.

It's a good time to take stock of what we have and what has happened to get where we are as we plan our day, week, month and future.

How does your plan look?

Ed Winkle