Markets

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s supply and demand estimates report opened with a note due to the current fluidity of trade and tariff policies.

There were no changes in the U.S. corn and soybean balance sheets for the second straight month, despite expectations for higher corn exports and lower domestic soybean use.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is issuing up to $10 billion directly to agricultural producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program for the 2024 crop year.

R-CALF USA welcomes the 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican beef and cattle — and we want more.

Uncertainty in both commodity prices and input prices is making farmers’ already tough job even more difficult.

Farmers must advocate for themselves. That is a matter of fact.

From issues impacting the farm economy, including record costs for labor, interest and taxes, to trade and biofuels, there a lot of challenges facing farmers today. But there also are opportunities, said Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association.

Happy National Agriculture Week! As the old saying goes, spring has sprung. The question on the tip of the tongue of many people I’ve spoken with recently is: Do you think we are going to get any more wintry weather?

Crop production baseline forecasts for the 2025-2026 marketing year balance sheets were unveiled at the Agricultural Outlook Forum.

The pressure in the ag economy is real — and farmers are feeling it, said Natasha Cox, senior vice president of Farm Credit Mid-America.

An important lesson I’ve learned over the years is that success is built on the foundation of strong relationships. We are stronger when we work together, building trust, exploring new opportunities and navigating challenges.

What happens globally can impact the profitability of U.S. farmers.

Members of Illinois Agri-Women gathered for their annual meeting to elect new officers, conduct association business and learn about several Illinois agricultural organizations.

As farmers develop a financial plan for their operation it is important they determine where they are, where they want to go and accurate numbers about their business.

Raising cattle is both demanding and fulfilling. Each day offers new possibilities for producers to improve their herd and work toward greater profitability.

With egg prices soaring, the Trump administration is planning a new strategy for fighting bird flu that stresses vaccinations and tighter biosecurity instead of killing off millions of chickens when the disease strikes a flock.

President Donald Trump temporarily suspended across-the-board 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada until April 2.

As the trade deficit and farm production costs continue to rise, the state of the agricultural economy is “dire,” lamented new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.

It is a new day for agriculture, said Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins.

U.S. farmers are projected to shift acreage to corn this spring as corn prices maintain an impressive run while prices for competing crops struggle to keep pace.

Seed selection remains one of the most critical decisions a grower can make. The right seed, on the right acre, at the right rate, planted at the right time sets the foundation for yield potential and defense against weeds, pests and diseases.

With the blustery cold we have seen across most parts of the country in recent days, it’s hard to believe that spring is right around the corner. Springtime brings planting, fresh blossoms and, of course, taxes.

You can kill houseflies with a shotgun, but that’s best done outdoors and away from people. Of course, drawing a bead on the indoor pests outdoors defeats the purpose of going after the little buggers in the first place.

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture held its 2025 Winter Policy Conference. Members adopted 16 policy amendments and 10 action items.

One of the first marketing lessons offered to me, a wet-behind-the-ears ag editor, by a steely and successful ag futures trader was as simple and useful as a feed bucket.

Farmers were more optimistic about the ag economy in February, according to the latest reading of the Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer.

The Soybean Innovation Lab will close April 15 due to a federal funding stoppage for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers’ annual Land Values Conference will be held March 27.

The dairy checkoff is returning to Natural Products Expo West to highlight the innovation and nutritional benefits of dairy to more than 65,000 industry professionals, investors and leaders from consumer-packaged goods and retail companies.

Crop insurers gathered for the industry’s annual convention, where leaders celebrated significant growth and charted a course for the future of American agriculture’s most important risk management tool.

A visit to Washington provided a powerful glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of local farmers as they navigate unpredictable weather and global market conditions.

Crop Nutrition Week 2025, a weeklong virtual learning event hosted by AgroLiquid, delivered data-driven strategies to help growers build stronger returns on their fertility investments.

The notion of tariffs dates back to the first major law passed by the U.S. Congress in 1789 and has evolved over time.

The long-term downward spiral in the number of U.S. cattle farms and ranches informs us that our industry is in a severe crisis.

Cattle numbers are down in the United States and the cattle market is focused on providing incentives to cattlemen for herd rebuilding.

The CattleFax Outlook Seminar, held as part of CattleCon 2025 in San Antonio, shared expert market and weather analysis.

Tariffs will not curtail imports, but they will help to rebalance trade by leveling the economic playing field between domestic cattle producers and producers from countries who enjoy less stringent production standards and lower currency valuations.

PepsiCo said that high prices and changing consumer tastes have weakened U.S. demand for its snacks and drinks, but it’s confident it can turn that around in the coming year.

Sharing our agricultural journey is not only rewarding, but also serves as an opportunity to educate and inspire others about the importance of farming in our daily lives.

Among the ways to improve profitability during times of lower prices and high input costs is to implement the 5% rule.

After a four-year run of substantial gains, agricultural land values in the Seventh Federal Reserve District saw a 1% annual decrease.

Other than a minor tweak in the wheat balance sheet, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s domestic supply and demand estimates for the major crops were unchanged, but there were downward movements globally in the report.

Over his 30-year career, Tim Harris has never strayed far from his multigenerational family farm southeast of Princeton, but his volunteer work for various organizations and his impact expands far beyond Bureau County.

During the final stages of building the world’s first atomic bomb, scientists worried their new weapon might ignite the atmosphere and wipe out every living thing. Farmers are experiencing similar anxieties as efforts slash federal spending.

America’s farmers and ranchers are no strangers to uncertainty, but the challenges they face today call for immediate attention and decisive leadership.

Here we go again. Because of the avian influenza, many hens have had to be culled, leaving fewer to produce eggs. Supply and demand being what it is, the price of eggs has jumped up again because there are fewer eggs.

When you push markets one way with tariffs, you should expect an equal and opposite reaction from those same markets.

We shipped two loads of fat cattle this past week and will ship another this week. Two of these loads were sold cash, and for the first time ever, we sold cattle for more than $200 per hundredweight.

We have completed the shop renovation project we started a year ago and got the heaters installed. This overdue improvement is a game changer.

The weather hasn’t presented too many challenges this winter, so far, but we know better than to celebrate just yet. We are still in a near-desperation need for runoff rain.