The rains came and stayed past their welcome!

Here in the central regions of the country the rain visited us mercilessly this week and continues to pound us in some parts as we speak. This is typically the time when primary manufacturers accumulate inventories for the winter months but it just isn't happening not only due to the weather but also the market and credit.

This only adds fuel to the calls for higher pricing as it relates to probable scarcity in the coming months.

Is "Crunch Time" coming?

Some time ago I wrote that there was going to be a "collision of values" between the cost of lumber and value that people would pay for it. That time is rapidly approaching. It seems that the buying public is not in the mood for any price increases yet, there has to be price increases at the supply end as supply will dry up. More for some than for others but there can be no doubt that landowners have reached a decision point where they are less willing to sell their wood lots for less and are deciding to set on the sidelines to see what will happen. Loggers are starved out, broke and just tired of working for less than nothing. Banks are, of course, not being real interested in financing new production without some reasonable guarantees of profitability. Is it there?

Producers are reluctant to buy anything that they don't already have sold and I think that we are going to enter some more turbulent times when the buying public has to pay more for things that they have been able to get at a much reduced price. Will this result in back orders? Substitutions? Elimination? What are your thoughts?

International Film Festival in Louisville

It is unusual that we have a major cultural event happening in the Louisville are and there not be as much buzz about it as should be perhaps. However, this October marks the first International Film Festival here in Louisville and it is an opportunity to bring one more dimension of arts and culture to the Metro Area. Here is a synopsis:


Louisville’s International Festival of Film (LIFF) is committed to screening artistic films not usually presented through commercial venues, giving independent filmmakers a place to showcase their work. The festivities will be October 2nd and 3rd at the Kentucky Center for the Arts. You can click on the tickets link for that information. Otherwise, you can see all of the details at: http://www.louisvillefilmfestival.org/index.html