The information you receive as a commodity producer can be a little like a spring rain — a lot of the time you’re getting way too much of it to do much good.

But the deluge of information available to producers can be whittled down if you know what to pay attention to. Five critical factors affecting crop profitability — weather, markets, land values, technology and farm inputs — will be discussed in detail at Decisions 2009, July 20 at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tenn.

Richard Brock, owner and president of Brock Associates, an agricultural marketing advisory service, will provide market analysis on corn, soybean, rice, cotton and other commodities and recommend marketing strategies for the coming season.

Erin FitzPatrick, a research analyst for Rabobank International, will provide a global perspective on farm inputs. She will discuss how farmer demand for key inputs is being affected by the current economic slowdown, and how this will affect production levels and suppliers around the globe.

Randall Pope, president of The Westchester Group, an agricultural asset management company, will discuss fundamental drivers of farmland values. Pope will explore the historical reasons for changing farmland values and discuss current and potential changes in farmland values, given demand for commodities and the land on which they are produced.

Has global warming turned from hot topic to hot potato? That’s a question that Drew Lerner, president and owner of World Weather Inc., an international weather forecasting firm, can address. Lerner has been serving the agricultural weather market for close to 30 years, by analyzing and predicting worldwide crop conditions based on current, past and future weather.

Lerner says the current sunspot minimum (the sun is producing fewer sunspots) will have great influence on summer temperatures this year forcing a cooler bias. Neutral ENSO (the La Niña/El Niño cycle) conditions will also produce a similar influence while the possible evolution of ENSO toward El Niño might help to bring on more rain. Lerner says drought potentials are below average and there may be a decrease in tropical cyclone activity this year.

Barry Knight, regional business director for Monsanto’s Delta and Pine Land west region, will discuss how frequent shifts between crops and new advances in plant breeding and biotechnology have changed the time interval of adoption. Knight will map out Monsanto’s movement in cotton, corn and soybean germplasm over the next three years.

‘Doc’ Yarlagadda, national agronomist, Helena Chemical Co., will share his crop production knowledge and experience with his unique presentation style.

Seating is limited. Reserve space by registering early.

Save $15 by registering before July 6. Registration by July 6 is $95 for registrants and $50 for spouses of registrants and students.

To register, call (800) 558-3431 or register at www.brockreport.com.

The sessions begin at 8:15 a.m. and conclude at 3:15 p.m. Lunch is included in the registration fee.

The event is sponsored by Brock Associates, Delta Farm Press, Helena, Monsanto and Rabo AgriFinance.