Latest News From Farm Economy

What will the next decade hold for your farm? What factors should you use to weigh investments or crop planning?  Here are five trends and data sets to ponder from USDA's latest Agricultural Baseline Projections.

Trouble continues in the rural economy. Rural bankers point to the issues causing uncertainty ahead.

Economists see interest-rate increases raising likelihood of recession to 44% in coming 12 months.

The latest round of agricultural credit condition surveys from the Federal Reserve banks show high farm real estate values are supporting farm finances. 

This data confirms the obvious — there is plenty of income and cash in farm country and is being reflected in the record prices being paid for farmland.

The rural economy keeps chugging along, according to the Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index. For the ninth straight month, the RMI has stayed above growth neutral.

U.S. pork exports to China have surged beyond pre-trade war levels, led by higher shipments from Brazil's JBS SA and China's WH Group Ltd, owner of Smithfield Foods, as reported by Reuters.

Brian Mehlhaf, who custom feeds hogs in Parkston, S. D., decided to head online to try to make a profit. He thought posting hogs for sale on Facebook would be a last resort. Now, the response is overwhelming.  

Ethanol plants and DDG facilities closing is a hit to the livestock industry. This is as some producers begin to switch feed rations based on price, availability and in an effort to keep weights from getting too high.

Plants which have closed are trying to reroute loads. The industry says many plants were already at capacity, which created a larger problem. Some producers share their stories.

The USDA Economic Research Service on Friday updated their net farm income forecast for 2019.

The first tranche is slated for August.

JPMorgan analyst Ann Duignan sent a note to investors saying U.S. agriculture faces a three-pronged crisis that will impact farm income.

During a live taping of U.S. Farm Report at the 2019 Top Producer Summit in Chicago, analysts shared the opportunities and threats they think commodity markets will face this year. 

Stocks fall to start new week as agricultural economists look for indicators of a new recession.

It’s no secret that farm country is suffering from retaliatory tariffs that are the result of President Donald Trump’s trade negotiating tactics, but could the trade war push U.S. agriculture into a recession? Maybe.

One economist says he hopes these issues can be resolved quickly because they are “disruptive and needless.” 

The latest Ag Economy Barometer from Purdue University shows just how concerned farmers are about the agriculture economy.

Analysts say interest rates will likely increase a total of three times this year, but could increase four times.

Rural bankers are worried how trade tension between the US and China will impact the rural economy.

The Purdue/CME Group's Ag Economy Barometer is released every month. But what does it all mean?

The Purdue Ag Economy Barometer was released on Tuesday. Trade and tariffs are weighing on producers' minds.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway said he’s delaying the release of a draft version of the 2018 Farm Bill as he seeks bipartisan support.  

The struggling farm economy will hit rural America where it hurts –the rural economy.

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue defended a proposal that would replace a portion of food stamp benefits with pre-assembled boxes of shelf-stable goods delivered to recipients' doorsteps.

USDA projects a drop in farm income

Appeals court clears way for large hog farm in SE Minnesota

More than 85% of grains, oilseeds sent by dry-bulk carriers.

Russia banned pork from Brazil at a time that imports from the Latin American country, the biggest foreign supplier of the meat, have been rising

President's grades are mixed on four major agricultural issues, says ag policy expert.

Proposal avoids possible veto by Brazil’s development bank.  

Yum! Brands and McDonald’s look for buyers as Chinese tastes shift.

As JBS SA explained to investors Thursday a plan to restructure the world’s biggest beef producer, it announced another milestone: the end of the Brazilian company’s enormous currency-hedging program.  

All-day breakfast has fueled a resurgence at the world’s biggest fast-food purveyor. In Russia, it’s all about double pork burgers and chicken wings.

Cargill Inc., one of the world’s biggest agriculture companies, posted a 77 percent gain in net income in the fiscal second quarter after the $1.45 billion sale of its U.S. pork business.

While Glencore Plc is out of favor with investors, Cargill Inc. is showing that commodity traders can still get it right, even in a bear market.

JBS is best known as a meat packing giant, but inside Brazil’s financial circles, those currency bets have earned it another nickname: The hedge fund that sells meat. 

Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) will be costly and have no economic benefit to consumers, a report from USDA indicates.

Pam Fretwell, host of Consumer Ag Connection, spoke with Steve Meyer, Paragon Economics, about animal welfare/rights activists and how big of an impact they have on the industry.

For candidates in the Midwest, almost nothing tops a photo opportunity with a barnyard animal or a colorful anecdote about life on the farm.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says he's confident the agricultural economy will remain strong despite an expected drop in farm income next year as corn prices lag and a pig virus reduces herds.

This year is definitely one that’s going to require a plan that drives your marketing moves. In addition to structure, flexibility is key to capture a run up in prices along the way.

Multiple factors work in unison to turn the tide on a weary but resilient livestock industry.

The full impact on the U.S. pork industry of a merger between Smithfield Foods and Chinese firm Shuanghui are not yet known.

So far the market is following the short-crop, long-tail price pattern.

These free trade agreements represent nearly $2.5 billion in new agriculture exports.

The hearing on Tuesday will focus on challenges facing the livestock industry.

Anecdotes and analysis part of the story

For 2011, a 2 to 3% increase is expected in food prices.

Hog market crisis lays ground for new industry structure.