He also sees soybeans remaining strong as yields also decline due to the August weather, “I think you have to assume the bean yield has to come down.” But he says the market is very nervous about what that yield number will be.

He warns, however, this will be a very dangerous time, “The funds are long, the public is long, and the farmer is bullish and will likely store most of this year’s harvest waiting for the price to go up.” He cautions producers about getting too bullish. Utterback says we could be setting up the kind of situation that occurred in 2008 when high corn prices spurred a dramatic rise in input costs and cash rents. He worried that, by 2011 and 2012, production costs and interest rates will rise as inflation returns to the economy.

But, for the next few months, he sees some very good profit opportunities for growers, “Don’t get too bullish and kill the goose the laid the golden egg.”

Listen to the complete interview with Bob Utterback

“It’s an honor to receive this award. Hopefully I can use this to promote conservation,” he told HAT. “That’s my real passion, to work for conservation at the district level, the county, the state level, and nationally. And I always love to be able to get in front of an audience and tout all the positive things we can do as farmers to help conserve our natural resources.”

McCormick says a number one issue statewide and nationally is water quality, and that tops his list of concerns for the future. Ray talks more about that in the HAT interview here:

Hoag also talks about early harvest SmartStax results in the HAT interview:

Denny Cobb says that also means USDA’s billion bushel Indiana corn crop projection isn’t likely to happen. “I guess I have a hard time squeezing my arms around that one,” he told HAT.

Cobb explained, “I think there are some good crops out there but it’s really a mixed bag, and I think we’re maybe a little on the short side. Probably the first two to two and a half weeks in August is what really took the top off of it here in Indiana.

Hear more with Denny Cobb here:

Lomont is originally from near New Haven in Allen County where his father still operates a grain farm. He graduated from Purdue with an agricultural economics degree.

His career in state government got its start when he approached Skillman at the Purdue Ag Alumni Fish Fry. “I just went up to her, kind of cold calling her, thanking her for all she and the governor did for agriculture. They’re a great team for Indiana agriculture.

In the HAT interview during training at Purdue in July Lomont talks more about Afghanistan and his plans upon returning to Indiana next year:

Paul Brennan is the Executive Vice President of the Indiana State Poultry Association. He told HAT, “There have been eggs shipped from these concerned flocks in Iowa to Indiana, very few, and as I understand it they’ve all been withdrawn. So people should feel confident that the eggs in Indiana are safe. None of the eggs in question came from Indiana producers, either in state or out of state.”

With the onset of this round of Salmonella enteritidis in eggs, some are now questioning what they call an under, or even unregulated industry. Is the egg industry regulated? Brennan says, “Oh my gosh, yes. It’s highly regulated, both by FSIS, the Food Safety Inspection Service at USDA, and by the AMS at USDA, and also the FDA. So three agencies right there, and that’s just part of it. But from a food safety standpoint those are the three main agencies.”

(Brennan is pictured with a Chinese tour guide while in Beijing with the Indiana Ag Trade Mission.)

Listen to the entire interview:

The 2010 fair concluded Sunday. During the Farmers Day pancake breakfast Wednesday Indiana Farm Bureau presented $3,000 to the Indiana FFA Foundation. The donation is just a small part of their consistent commitment to FFA.

Don Villwock explains in the HAT interview:

The chance to be the signature commodity of the Indiana State Fair, and benefit from all the great PR, was a very timely opportunity for the state’s pork producers. Mark York of Wabash County is the group’s president.

“The last two years we have lost a substantial amount of money with the markets, with H1N1, with the economic downturn,” he explained. “The perfect storm came together and obviously we’ve returned back to profitability the last 3-4 months, and we’re starting to heal some wounds. What a fitting place to be able to profile pig as an agricultural commodity at the Indiana State Fair. So we’re excited about it, very thrilled.”

Andy Eubank spoke with York on opening day of the fair: Gary Truitt got comments from Mike Platt Wednesday, Farmers Day:

Brouillette is the Managing Partner and President of Demeter LP, a company started in 1944 that today operates grain facilities and commercial warehousing. Skillman said she and her family have been pillars of Indiana agriculture.

“I met JoAnn almost immediately upon becoming Lt. Governor,” she told HAT, “and she’s been a great partner in so many of the state’s initiatives, in addition to serving on our advisory board to the state department of agriculture.”

Brouillette was honored to be placed in the same company as previous AgriVision award winners. “Oh it’s an incredible honor. I feel very humbled and honored, particularly to be named with the likes of the Sonny Beck’s, the John Swisher’s, and the Shorty Whittington’s and Brian Reichart’s of the world.”

In the HAT interview, JoAnn talks about the history of Demeter and the future for Indiana agriculture:

The most memorable part of traveling nearly 8200 miles across the Hoosier state during her year-long reign has been seeing Indiana’s diversity. “When you don’t have the chance to travel across Indiana you aren’t able to see that, and I have been so lucky and blessed that I have been able to see the diversity of landscape, the diversity of crops that we have here, the diversity of agriculture, and also the diversity of people that we have across Indiana.

Listen to the Denae Pyle interview here to learn more about this year’s queen: