Commodity Planning Price Projections for 2004 Available

Short and long-term agricultural planning price projections for North Dakota are now available, says Ron Haugen, farm economist with the North Dakota State University Extension Service.

The publication shows 2004 price projections for crops and livestock produced in the state and price estimates for future years. Price projections are given for the major crop commodities including wheat, durum, oats, feed barley, malting barley, oil sunflower, non-oil sunflower, corn soybeans, canola, flaxseed, winter wheat, dry beans, alfalfa hay, mixed hay, rye and potatoes.

Price projections for livestock and livestock products include beef steers and heifers at various weights, cull cows, slaughter steers, slaughter hogs, slaughter ewes, slaughter lambs, feeder lambs and milk. The publication also shows historical prices as a reference.

The estimated short-term planning prices should be used as a guide in setting price expectations for year 2004 production, Haugen says. These planning prices can be used for preparing annual enterprise budgets and annual whole-farm cash flow projections. The short-term prices should not be used for planning capital purchases or expansion alternatives which would extend beyond the next production year, he cautions.

To obtain this free publication, “Plotting a Course 2004" (EC-1090), call (701) 231-7882 or write to NDSU Agriculture Communication, Distribution Center, Box 5655, 10 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5655, or contact a county office of the NDSU Extension Service. Requests may also be faxed to (701) 231-7044 or e-mailed to dctr@ndsuext.nodak.edu . The publication is also found on the Web at www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu .

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Source: Ron Haugen, (701) 231-8103, rhaugen@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu