Business & Economy Trends
Behind the Scenes: Part 1
June 4, 2010
By Dr. David M. Kohl
In recent months during my globe-trotting tours, producers have indicated that it is much more difficult now to obtain credit than in the past. My response is that their perception is reality in many cases. There are many reasons for this. Federal and state lending regulators have seen the problems in housing and commercial real estate and are attempting to be proactive in the agricultural industry to circumvent negative outcomes. The fact that credit is harder to come by requires a...
Past Articles
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What about our Federal Debt?
May 21, 2010
By Dr. David M. Kohl
The past few weeks have been a roller coaster for the United States and global economies evidenced by the U.S. stock market gyration of 1,000 points, riots in Greece, and foreign stock markets...
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Your Personality Style
May 7, 2010
By Dr. David M. Kohl
In my Globe Trotting travels I am frequently asked, "What is one of your favorite management tools that you have used and implemented in practice"? Without a doubt, the DiSC Personality Profile...
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What Do You Read, Watch, and Listen to?
April 23, 2010
By Dr. David M. Kohl
Inquiring minds frequently ask me what I read, watch and listen to. This is a very valid question in this information-intense society where one receives 38,000 bits and pieces of information...
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Managing Through the Cycles: Hitting the Cycle
April 9, 2010
By Dr. David M. Kohl
In baseball one of the terms used is "hitting the cycle," which is a single, double, triple, and then a home run. With spring training in full swing and baseball season around the corner, let's...
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Managing Through the Cycles: Buying Land
March 26, 2010
By Dr. David M. Kohl
One of the most popular questions on the speaking circuit is whether a person should buy land. Is land a good investment? Let the record speak for itself. Over the past century, land values...
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Managing Through the Cycles: Profits
March 12, 2010
By Dr. David M. Kohl
Regardless of enterprise, tenure, size of business, and goals, every business person must manage through cycles. Yes, there are weather, economic, business, and many other cycles related to...
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Financial Benchmarking: Part 3
March 5, 2010
By Dr. David M. Kohl
The last two columns discussed the pros and cons of financial benchmarking. This management tool can be used as a proactive measure for building a case for borrowing money for next year's crops...
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Financial Benchmarking: Part 2
February 26, 2010
By Dr. David M. Kohl
The last column explored the benefits of financial benchmarking and provided a key metric pertaining to profits. Let's discuss the drawbacks of this management tool and how to make benchmarking...
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Financial Benchmarking: Part 1
February 19, 2010
By Dr. David M. Kohl
Benchmarking is not a new concept to business and agriculture. In fact, it has been around for a long time as producers compare yields, costs, and values with their neighbors down the road....
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The Price Taker Question
February 5, 2010
By Dr. David M. Kohl
"Hey Doc: I am a price taker and have to take the price that is given for my wheat crop, much different than the value added dairy business you are involved in." This was a comment at a noon...
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