#754 - "What Most Farmers Get Wrong: RP vs ECO vs SCO" - Weekly Market Outlook: Feb 23-27

https://19-minutes.supercast.com/We’re heading into the last week of February price discovery for crop insurance, and Iowa State economist Chad Hart joins us to break down what matters most right now and how to use crop insurance as a practical risk management tool that supports smarter pre-harvest marketing. We talk about why the final week of volatility can move premiums and what this year looks like versus last year, how to think through RP versus county products like SCO and ECO, and why “saving premium” can quietly mean taking on more risk. Chad also explains why ECO can make sense over time, especially in deeper loss years, then we pivot to the bigger market setup including USDA outlook takeaways, export expectations, what that could mean for stocks, and how corn versus soybean margins could shape 2026 acreage.We finish with a simple way to frame old crop versus new crop decisions, how to approach incremental sales, and how cost of carry fits into spring marketing. This is educational, not marketing advice, so use it as a framework and match decisions to your farm’s APH, unit structure, costs, and risk tolerance.