A number of years ago, the K-State Ag Economics Department updated their website to create a one-stop shop for the many resources coming out of their department. That work led to the creation of a new website: www.agmanager.info . As the name implies, the website is designed to be a clearinghouse of information, reports, and even tools to help agricultural producers manage their operations.

The Land and Leasing section includes resources to assist producers looking at land leasing and even purchase decisions. It includes links to Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service information as well as papers on everything from how to calculate an equitable lease to templates you can use to design one. KSULease is the name given to a spreadsheet tool that tenants and landlords can use to determine what an equitable share lease arrangement might look like.

Trying to figure out how much to charge or pay for some custom work? A link to the Kansas Custom Rates publication is available, as are budgets for the major crops grown in Kansas put together with help from KSU Specialists and the Kansas Farm Management Association. Want to determine whether you should stop paying for custom work and purchase a piece of machinery? The site even has tools to help you evaluate those options.

Want market analysis? Dan O’Brien provides regular grain market updates. Glynn Tonser does the same for livestock enterprises.

A new Farm Bill was just signed. Unsure of what it might entail, but not interested in sorting through the entire bill? A recently updated paper outlines some of the changes in ARC and PLC programs, as well as crop insurance and conservation sections. Rest assured, it will be updated frequently as more information is learned about exactly what is included in the bill.

Economics isn’t always the most fun topic to spend time on, but it is an important one. Check out www.agmanager.info and see if these tools and papers can help make sense out of what can often be complicated. Don’t want to try and fight a website or can’t figure out where what you are looking for might be located? Don’t hesitate to contact me at a District Office or e-mail me at dhallaue@ksu.edu . I would be happy to help you find what you are looking for.,

Merry Christmas!

It would take way too many Christmas cards to reach all of you who might have visited a District Office this year, or called with a question, or worked with us on a project. In lieu of that, please accept this humble thank you for reading this column or listening on the radio or attending a meeting or field day. We appreciate you all and hope to work with you again in the very near future. Merry Christmas from our Extension family to yours!