The crop budget worksheets are of course only estimates, and virtually every producer will have a different set of numbers. Yields are always the key factor in these types of profit/loss exercises.As mentioned in Monday’s analysis, many of the university extension services now have 2016 crop budget worksheets available on their websites. The bottom line projections are break-even at best, but they mostly show negative returns per acre even before setting aside some dollars for “return to labor and management” (i.e., any cash for living expenses, etc.). A quick look at the numbers for southeastern North Dakota and western Minnesota ranks the crops that follow in order of best to worst. The best case in these projections is the least loss. Be...
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.