Conservation compliance, including the Swampbuster provisions at issue in the lawsuit discussed in this article, were the policy response to substantial problems on the ground and for farm fields. Those problems can be traced to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s and a return of wind erosion problems during droughts of the 1950s. More directly, conservation compliance traces to the reckless policy decisions in the early 1970s, including the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973.

Cash storage of corn and soybeans after June is generally not profitable as price declines on average and in a majority of years. Net return to cash and futures hedged storage of corn and soybeans that ends no later than June does not differ statistically from $0. On average, returns just cover the total cost of storage. The preceding finding nevertheless is consistent with building on-farm storage since on-farm storage provides other opportunities to improve farm profitability.

U.S. and Brazilian farmers compete directly in global markets. Input-level discrepancies underscore the comparative advantage U.S. farms maintain in fertilizer and chemical costs, particularly for soybeans. However, the seed cost disadvantage in 2024 for U.S. soybean producers warrants closer scrutiny. Understanding the drivers behind this gap, like government policy or commercial strategy, and identifying opportunities to reduce it, will be critical for maintaining U.S. competitiveness.

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer index is computed each month to gauge producer sentiment among a group of U.S. agricultural producers (Langemeier and Mintert, 2025).  The barometer’s index…