Scott Irwin's Blog, page 3

Planting Confusion

I believe pictures like those shown below cause no end of confusion with respect to the analysis of grain markets. The first picture is my Dad, Jim Irwin, planting corn … Read More Test

Factory Even

I published a new farmdoc daily article this week about the trend in the U.S. average corn yield. This is a key driver of overall agricultural productivity and has profound … Read More Test

Risk

The main theme of my book Back to the Futures is risk, and it is appropriate that I close out the one-year anniversary week activities with a post on this … Read More Test

So, You Want to Write a Book

Once you write and publish a book, something interesting happens.  All sorts of people tell you about their dream of also writing a book.  I love having these conversations.  It … Read More Test

Book Marketing the Cyberdyne Way

I have truly enjoyed learning about the publishing business over the last year. It is an industry that has been utterly disrupted from top-to-bottom by the digital revolution. Amazon is … Read More Test

Audio Adrenaline

I had so many fun interviews the last year about my book Back to the Futures. These have ranged from a news article by the University of Illinois press … Read More Test

Judging a Book by Its Cover

I am sure that many of us grew up hearing the advice from our parents that we should “never judge a book by its cover.” I know I certainly heard … Read More Test

It’s Time to Celebrate

A year ago this week I began a huge adventure, publishing my first book Back to the Futures: Crashing Dirt Bikes, Chasing Cows, and Unraveling the Mystery of Commodity Futures … Read More Test

Changing Geographic Acreage Patterns and Corn Trend Yield Estimation

One of the most basic tasks in the supply/demand analysis for grains at this time of year is the estimation of trend yields. You would think that something as simple … Read More Test

The Future of Agricultural and Applied Economics Departments

The agricultural economics profession has been engaged in a vigorous debate about its future for some time. All agricultural economics departments have had to adjust as the number of farms … Read More Test