Money is on sale

Interest rates are lower than anyone can remember. There isn’t much risk in predicting that interest rates are eventually going to rise. That’s the only direction they can move. Various analysts are advising consumers not to get themselves into more debt than they can handle and this is good advice for farmers as well. Farm debt has been rising and a significant increase in rates would hit a lot of producers hard. Record high interest rates back in the early 80s precipitated years of farm foreclosures. It seems hard to believe that interest rates hit 15, 18 and even 20 per cent plus. No one is predicting that sort of escalation this time around. Most analysts say any increase in rates will be moderate and gradual. In recent years, loans with variable rates have been a great deal. Locking in a fixed rate has provided peace of mind, but it’s been costly. There may come a time to convert variable rates into fixed rate loans, but what’s the right time to do that? As we approach a New Year, money continues to be on sale and that doesn’t seem likely to change in the immediate future. I’m Kevin Hursh.