About

Hammersmark Publishing

It's all about the farm. My family name back in the old country (Norway) was Hammersmark, for the hammer shape of our farm field.

Today, I work with the best and smartest ag experts to help today's farmers succeed.

I work most closely with Al Kluis, who has been trading grain and advising farmers for almost 50 years. Al's family name back in the old country (Holland), Kluis, means bank vault. So yes, it's about money, too.

After all, you're not just growing a crop... you're growing money. We try to help you make that happen, year after year.

We're starting a new series of little publications to bring some of our best work to you in pocket-size booklets. Throw one in the truck for when you're stuck in line at the elevator; stick another in your pocket for tomorrow morning when you're having coffee in your shop and listening to the markets.

Stay tuned for more topics. You might also ask your seed or chemical dealer to pre-order some booklets for you. They know who we are! ; )

Katie Thompson

Editor, Hammersmark Publishing

p.s. Meanwhile, here are some little snapshots of work we've done over the years...

Work we've done...

Our 2012 Kluis Calendar

We started producing our calendar in 2007, the year before we added the Almanac. We wanted a publication that would give our farmers a year-round workbook where they could track important marketing dates, and track their farm-specific information on tables and charts we provided.

Al on Successful Farming

As you can imagine, when this issue of SF came out, we were blasting AC/DC around the office for weeks. Al started writing for Successful Farming around 2006 and has become a regular contributor.

Our own Almanac

Our Almanac was for farmers in the real world (and in this century, for pete's sake). Instead of telling you to plant potatoes by the light of the moon, we gave you tidbits about grain marketing, and a place to track your own marketing results. A very fine publication, if I do say so myself. ; )

Al's app

In the 1970s, Al Kluis used the latest hot technologies (answering machines! fax machines!) to get out his daily comments and recommendations.

Nothing has changed. Around 2016, we built an excellent app ("alNow!") to quickly publish Al's and his team's comments throughout the day. My favorite feature: The "cha-ching" sound effect whenever we triggered an Action Alert.

Sample Calendar page

Our Calendar had more than just terrific images. We also built in fill-in-the-blank tables for farmers to track important marketing information throughout the year.

Ad in Successful Farming

We always enjoyed making ads to run in Successful Farming. The roller coaster was always a favorite. What says 'grain markets' better than a scary old wooden roller coaster?

Ads in Successful Farming

Over the years, we've testing a number of ways to give farmers resources to help with their marketing. Our ads in SF helped get the word out.

2013 Kluis Calendar

Each year with our calendar, we would focus on a specific theme that affected our farmers. In 2013, it was farm news. Oh, those Hefty Brothers!

Al's students

The Kluis Grain Trading Academy (originally our Lafayette Trading Academy) is a three-year training program for grain marketing.

Al and "Your Profit"

Every issue of Successful Farming has articles written by Al and edited (at least a first pass) by Katie. We will be pulling some of the best sections of these articles into some "best of" booklets.

Webinar while planting

We use whatever tools work best to reach our farmers where they are. In this case, webinars to watch while you're out in the field, helping you plan your grain marketing for the crop you're planting.

Al's school

It was a huge project to create our 3-year curriculum for our farmers. Now we can provide that information in person or online, and have done so for more than a decade.

Our 2015 Almanac

Another huge (but worthy) project every year: Our excellent Almanac. We sent subscribers 2 copies every year: one for the office, one for the truck.

"Deadstock", 2006

Where it all began. In 2005, I asked some commodity broker to read the manuscript for my novel about agroterrorism (the bad guy was a commodities broker, natch). The real-world broker (a good guy) was of course Al Kluis. I've been his editor ever since.

Our 2008 Almanac

First edition! Our original "Dutch" Almanac was changed to "Al Kluis" before long. Still the same excellent product every year.