Farm Economy
Today’s market is evolving, not just correcting, according to ag economists. To win the long game, farmers are using generics and delaying machinery purchases as trade shifts to allies and consumers demand premium meat portions.
As the farm share of the food dollar hits historic lows, new USDA data reveals a widening gap between the grocery aisle and the farm gate.
As production costs skyrocket and retail giants consolidate, growers struggle to maintain margins in an imbalanced supply chain.
Growers are navigating a harsh reality of a tightening squeeze between rising production costs and stagnant wholesale returns as they wait for a market correction.
A recent impact report out of Westlands Water District in California found wide-reaching ripple effects of water restrictions for San Joaquin Valley growers.
Farmers need to be prepared to pay substantially more for their coverage in 2026, unless Congress acts now to address the impending price surge.
Annual survey shows a traditional meal with all the fixings will require fewer dollars per person this year. But look to shell out more dollars if turkey isn’t the only meat on your menu.
The newly formed “Grow it Here” seeks to educate policymakers and the public on the dire need for short-term and long-term ag reform.
A growing crisis is silently unfolding in agriculture. Farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. With mounting financial stress, that number could be on the rise this year.
Lack of water deliveries from Mexico to Texas meant the end of the state’s sugar industry. Today, it threatens other key elements of South Texas agriculture and communities.
The third round of disaster aid payments through the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program is the largest amount appropriated by Congress. USDA Deputy Undersecretary Brooke Appleton says those payments are being prepared now.
The April Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor found most agricultural economists think it could be 2026 before we see Congress final pass a new bill. One reason why is the fact Congress passed $10 billion in ECAP payments late last year.
Growers are grappling with a second consecutive year of waning demand and no home for their grapes. The issue is complex with non-tariff trade barriers hitting the wine industry especially hard and a flood of imports that are creating cheap wine with which U.S. grape growers can’t compete.
With tariffs and trade in focus again, a recent AgWeb poll asked farmers if they support President Donald Trump’s use of tariffs as a negotiating strategy.
The majority of respondents in the March Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor agree the U.S. is currently in a trade war, but who wins? Ag economists say it’s not the U.S., Canada or Mexico but rather Brazil that could come out on top.
“The agricultural economy is inherently cyclical, and ag lenders are navigating the changing conditions across the sectors they serve,” said Jackson Takach, chief economist of Farmer Mac.
From increasing difficulty in accessing households due to new telephone technologies to concerns about data privacy and time constraints from farmers, the number of farmers participating in USDA surveys is on the decline.
Joanna Carraway is the 2013 winner of the Tomorrow’s Top Producer Horizon Award.
For the first time since September 2020, the rural economy is showing signs of weakness.
For the sixth time in the past seven months, the rural economy has posted signs of weakness. That’s according to the Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) from Creighton University.
Agriculture can sometimes act as a buffer during broader economic recessions, as demand for essential food items tends to remain relatively stable. However, when multiple indicators align in the industry, it can signal a recession.
U.S. imports of Mexican beef increased by 268% to make Mexico the fourth largest source of U.S. beef imports. But as Mexico builds export markets, what does the future hold for U.S.-Mexico cattle trade?
Though agriculture has become increasingly volatile during the last decade and risk management has never been more critical to farm and ranch sustainability, farmers are lucky.
Most farmers think about employee bonuses only at the end of the year, but experts recommend considering an incentive program that drives results throughout the year.
13 states launch new legal challenge to California egg law
China Has Its Own Apple Launch That’s Nothing to Do With IPhones
Cranberries might be a staple on Thanksgiving tables, but a glut of U.S. supplies has gotten so large that fruit could be headed to the compost pile.