Most farmers and agri-businessmen would probably agree that it is not “business as usual” in the field of agriculture. The volatile commodity markets, the mess in the financial world and the dramatic increase in input costs have put a new level of stress in agriculture and upped requirements in management skills. One item that probably will not change will be small profit margins. As input costs catch up to commodity prices, we will be back to the typical scenario of small profit margins, but only at a higher plateau. Developing marketing plans for the commodities we grow is getting more difficult. Marketing tools such as options and the futures marketing are getting more expensive as the markets become more volatile. It is also getting harder to predict seasonal trends in markets because of all the outside influences in the market. It is not uncommon to hear marketing specialists indicate they are unsure of the direction of the market.