I’ve referenced the KSU Ag Economics site (www.agmanager.info) many times in this space over the years – and for good reason. It’s a great resource when it comes to all things economics as related to agriculture, covering topics like budgets, ag policy and many others.

One of the most popular topics at the site is land rental rates. In fact, in 2022, the Land Rental Rates page (https://agmanager.info/farm-management/land-rental-rates) was the most visited page on the site. Part of that stems from that vast array of information available there, from lease rates to rental forms, plus many, many, many presentations on ag lease topics. Part of it is because leases and land rental rates are huge line items in most ag production budgets, accounting for over 15 percent of total costs in our KFMA corn production budgets and close to 25 percent of total soybean costs.

In short, getting the “right” rental rate is an important part of the budget for both landlords and tenants. If you haven’t checked out the rental rates page at the AgManager site, it’s a great resource.

Vegetable Garden Planting Guide

Now that the holidays have passed, you may have gotten the itch to start gardening. While it may be just a little early, it’s not too early to plan.

When doing your planning, check out the KSU’s Vegetable Gardening Planting Guide available online (https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/mf315.pdf) or upon request from any District Office (or e-mailing me at dhallaue@ksu.edu). In just four pages, it outlines everything from when to plant – including frost tolerance scores – to how much you’ll need to plant per person. It also includes information on seeding rate, spacing and even common plant problems.

It’s a great resource for the experienced gardener trying to make sure they are planting enough to the new gardener trying to figure out where to start. Check it out via any of the options above – and start the planning process for a productive 2023 gardening season.