For down-on-the-farm perspectives on the economics and finances of farming, please check out www.cornandsoybeandigest.com and our newest contributor, Kent Thiesse. It's likely a name you're familiar with, because he's often been a source on our Web site and in the pages of this magazine.

As a former University of Minnesota extension educator who specialized in financial planning and analyzing government programs, Thiesse is now vice president of MinnStar Bank in Lake Crystal, MN. His experience in helping farmers through tough economic times in the '80s — and in wading through the government program maze — makes him a perfect fit for the column you'll see online at www.cornandsoybeandigest.com.

For more details on how Thiesse made this transition from extension to banker, see “A Nose For News” on page 30.