The 2005 production season has been challenging one for many farmers. Yet, this is the kind of year to take a serious look at your production systems for corn, soybean, and wheat. If profitability is maintained in difficult years, it will more than likely be maintained during good years as well. he UW Agronomy Department has offered the PEPS (Profits through Efficient Production Systems) program for evaluating farm cropping systems since 1987. To encourage participation in this popular program the deadline has been extended to August 20. For growers who do not want to enter the public contest portion of the program, there is a "verification only" option so farmers can track profitability of their own farms and still compare their operations to other corn, soybean, and wheat producers.

The objectives of the program are:

1. To recognize the practices utilized by the most profitable growers and to provide other growers, educators, and researchers insight into ways these producers integrate practices into a system, and

2. To emphasize soil and water conservation, efficiency, profitability and competitiveness vs. productivity alone.

For further information on the PEPS program, contact you county agent , seed dealer, visit the website http://corn.agronomy.wisc.edu/PEPS.htm, or call Colleen at (608) 262-7702. Program rules and an entry form are available at the above website.