Columbia Fruit Packers of Wenatchee and Frosty Packing of Yakima will merge to form New Columbia Fruit Packers after an investment from Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

University of Missouri livestock economist Scott Brown says the latest livestock slaughter report from the USDA indicates producers are liquidating cows and they aren’t holding back replacement heifers. Cows and replacement heifers are female breeding stock that would be used to produce more beef...

AccuWeather forecasts economic losses of $20 billion from the Mississippi River’s historically low water levels. Senior Meteorologist Paul Pastelok says the low levels have caused barge traffic to come to a near standstill, and he doesn’t expect any significant change in the levels until early next...

The American Egg Board (AEB) has launched the Eggcelerator Lab to drive industry innovation by bringing new products to market, thus, increasing demand for eggs. AEB President and CEO Emily Metz says the innovation hub will increase opportunities for America’s egg farmers.

The USDA says the U.S. corn and soybean harvests made solid advances last week. There was precipitation in parts of the Midwest and Plains, including snow in some northern areas, but overall, conditions allowed for good progress, with more generally dry weather expected this week.As of last Sunday,...

At the recent World Dairy Expo, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, National Milk Producers Federation and Dairy Farmers of America unveiled the results of a study about the benefits of modern dairy technologies. The study looked at how technology has positively impacted consumers, dairy...

An ag economist says high interest rates may not have a major impact on the demand for farmland heading into 2023. Nathan Kauffman is with the Kanas City Federal Reserve Bank. “Normally, what we would expect when we see high interest rates is that it could push back on the sentiment on farmland,...

Oregon State University (OSU) has been awarded a $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to work with farmers and Native American Tribes on cropping practices that can enhance soil health and reduce the carbon footprint of the Pacific Northwest potato industry. Jeffrey Steiner is...

Just when we all thought the potential for a rail strike was behind us, we now learn that may not be the case. A labor strike along U.S. railroads is apparently still a possibility after the third-largest railroad union rejected a tentative labor agreement this week. The agreement had the support...

U.S. farm equity in 2022 is 27.7% higher than it was in 2017 and 42.7% higher than it was in 2012. During the last 10 years, net farm income was above the long-run average (i.e., average from 2007 to 2022) from 2012 to 2014, and in 2021 and 2022, but the increase in farm equity is due to more than...

The U.S. biofuels sector is well-positioned to play a major role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by producing fuel using sources with lower carbon footprints. A new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange shows the recent surge of investments in U.S. renewable diesel production capacity is...

Agricultural manufacturers are still struggling to get enough parts to continue to put together their products. Dr. Kanlaya Barr is Director of Corporate Economics with John Deere. She spoke at the recent Ag Outlook Forum in Kansas City and talked about the kinds of parts they’re regularly missing.

According to the latest report from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), sales of combines and 100+ HP tractors increased by 6.6% and 9.6%, respectively, in September 2022 compared with the same month in 2021. All other categories declined in September and year-to-date. The largest...

Commercial barge traffic on southern stretches of the Mississippi River is at a standstill as low water levels have literally halted shipments of grain, fertilizer and other commodities on the critical waterway, shipping sources said.

A Mexican presidential decree to ban genetically modified (GM) corn in 2024 would have severe economic consequences for the U.S. and Mexican economies. A study from World Perspectives, Inc., says the move will result in a loss of billions for America’s farmers and higher prices for Mexican...