The global population continues to grow. By 2050, the population is projected to total 9.7 billion people. That’s nearly 2 billion more folks on the planet than today. 

In the 1960s, Scott Legried’s dad was farming in Frost, Minnesota, as well as selling livestock equipment and snowmobiles.  He was on the road and would occasionally be given a hat by those with whom he did business. 

The U.S. Apple Association said inventories as of December 2023 were up about 33% above this same time last year. Buoyed by a supersized crop this year, marketers say this season promises to offer retailers ample opportunities to put the spotlight on apples.

One-fourth of U.S. losses to bird flu in outbreaks that began in early 2022 were recorded in the past three months, when the viral disease staged a resurgence, according to USDA data recently released. Some 20.9 million birds were culled in infected domestic flocks from October through December...

According to Foreign Affairs Magazine, “the number, intensity, and length of violent conflicts worldwide is at its highest level since before the end of the Cold War.” This unprecedented contemporary level of global discord introduces significant uncertainty into the commodity markets – and for...

When it comes to the U.S. trade portfolio, exports of farm goods have been a prevailing bright spot. However, while China is one of the biggest markets for U.S. producers, trade relations between the U.S. and China tend to fluctuate between frosty and ice cold, where it’s currently lingering.

Although the cost of production rose in both countries in 2023, U.S. corn growers have an advantage over their Brazilian rivals with lower per-bushel costs, according to four agricultural economists at the farmdoc daily blog. The United States grows three times as much corn as Brazil, but Brazil is...

U.S. farmers’ sentiment changed very little in December compared to the preceding month. The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer recorded a reading of 114. The Current Conditions Index for December was 112, while the Future Expectations Index was 115.

The biggest problem for farm margins heading into 2024 is the elevated cost of production. While fertilizer prices have fallen, other costs of production remain stubbornly high. However, ag commodities will benefit from more upside price risk than down in 2024. Global grain and oilseed stock...

The renewable diesel boom and the smaller U.S. soybean harvest of 2023 will drive an expansion of soybean acreage in 2024, reducing acres available for other crops. The biofuel sector at large carries the momentum of historically large profit margins into the new year. Both ethanol producers and...

Profitability for the U.S. livestock sector should improve modestly in 2024, as lower feed costs and steadfast domestic demand offset weaker global export conditions. Beef packers will continue to struggle with shrinking supplies of available cattle. Tighter cattle numbers, flat pork supplies and...

Global dairy commodity markets likely reached their bottom in 2023, and the general trend is for prices to move higher in 2024. Demand will be key.

Last December, some analysts predicted 2023 would be the year farmland prices would finally start to level off and, perhaps, even decline. That prediction hasn’t materialized quite the way many analysts expected, according to Paul Schadegg, Senior Vice President for Real Estate Operations at...

2023 Final Projections

Although net farm income, a broad gauge of profitability, would be down sharply from the record $182.8 billion of 2022, it would be far above the 10-year average of $101.5 billion.