Bellwether (noun) definition: something that leads or indicates a trend. Example: “The wheat market is now a bellwether for the war in Ukraine.”

Nutrien Ltd. has announced that it is evaluating Geismar, Louisiana, as the site to build the world’s largest clean ammonia facility. Building on the company’s expertise in low-carbon ammonia production, clean ammonia will be manufactured using innovative technology to achieve at least a 90 percent...

The John Deere Foundation recently announced a $1 million donation to World Food Program USA. The donation is being made “to combat global food insecurity and address the staggering rise of acute hunger exacerbated by the crisis in Ukraine,” the Foundation said in a press release. Half of the grant...

A small farm owner looking for a good meat hog that's easy to raise should consider the Hereford breed. A breed of pig developed 100 years ago in the Midwest is still around, but not very common. The Hereford hog was created from the Duroc, Chester White, and Poland China bloodlines. Small farmers...

Agricultural land values in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin collectively soared 23% from April 2021 to April 2022, according to the May edition of the Ag Letter from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The data comes from survey responses from agricultural bankers in this region,...

Overall, consumer prices in April were 8.3% higher than a year ago, and America’s families can expect inflation to continue putting pressure on their wallets for the next few years. American Farm Bureau Federation economists analyzed the inflation numbers in the latest Market Intel report. They...

The United Soybean Board (USB) released results of a new survey, highlighting consumer perceptions of U.S. soybeans, soybean farmers and the U.S. food supply chain. According to the survey, consumer support of domestic agriculture has only grown stronger, with 78% of consumers – an 8% increase...

In a May 3 phone interview with Ag Equipment Intelligence, United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 807 President Nick Guernsey said he told his members to expect to be out of work for 3-6 months.

Purdue University’s latest Consumer Food Insights Report shows 60 percent of consumers are concerned about the impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza on food prices.  

The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer improved in April, up 8 points to a reading of 121. Producers' perspective on current conditions and future expectations saw an uptick over the past month. The Index of Current Conditions improved 7 points to a reading of 120, and the Index of...

Amid rising geopolitical uncertainties in the world, the Chinese government has pledged to do all in its capacity to ensure the supplies of food, such as corn and soybeans, and provide sufficient fertilizers so that farmers could expand agricultural output and increase grain storage. From Xinjiang...

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) reports slower ag equipment sales for the month of April and year-to-date. Overall tractor sales were off by 22.3% for the month and 13.7 YTD compared with 2021. Combine sales were also down 5.6% for the month and 14.5% YTD. The only category of...

The USDA released its sixth Crop Progress report this week.

The war in Ukraine has altered patterns so significantly that global commodity prices will keep rising in 2022 and remain at high levels through the end of 2024, according to a commodity outlook from the World Bank.

Capturing the interactions between biofuels and agricultural industries and their connections with other economic activities was key to a first-of-its kind study. "This is the first comprehensive examination of market factors and policies on the expansion of biofuels production in the U.S. to...