We conclude our solvency series by examining how gross farm and management returns have varied by debt burden in recent years, along with their economic costs. In our previous article…

This article compares economic loss with safety net payments for the nine large acreage crops that USDA, ERS reports a cost of production. 2024 crop safety net assistance is estimated to reduce the nine crop’s collective economic loss from 17% to slightly more than 3% of total economic cost. Coverage of individual crop economic loss varies widely, ranging from 180% (payments exceed economic loss by 80 percentage points) to 45% (payments are 55 percentage points less), raising fairness issues.

The Apiculture Rainfall Index Insurance program (API) is a crop insurance product underutilized by Illinois beekeepers. According to USDA estimates, fewer than 2% of Illinois colonies were enrolled in API in 2023. Like other Federal crop insurance programs, API is heavily subsidized. Since 2009, API has returned an average of $2.11 in payments for each $1.00 in U.S. beekeeper-paid premium. There is no minimum number of colonies required to buy an API policy.

Between 2021 and 2023, prices of new agricultural equipment increased by over 20%, resulting in similar increases in machinery costs on farms. To remain competitive, farmers may wish to reassess machinery management strategies, particularly when older machinery needs to be replaced. Combines typically represent the single largest investment on farms. Harvesting over 3,000 acres per combine will lower costs. The number of tractors, tillage implements, and planters also significantly impact costs.

Since 2020, the renewable diesel boom has disrupted longstanding soybean pricing relationships. Soybean oil’s share of crush value jumped from 25-35% to 35-50% and values and crush margins became significantly more volatile. Historical models predicting soybean prices based on oil and meal values have broken down, making price forecasting more difficult.

In our previous article (see farmdoc daily, October 1, 2025), we found that most farms maintained healthy solvency ratios, with debt-to-asset levels remaining relatively stable or improving over the past…

President Donald Trump said his administration had struck an agreement to bring down the price of beef for consumers during an event in the Oval Office on Thursday. Trump didn’t…

US President Donald Trump said he might stop trade in cooking oil with China, injecting fresh tensions into the relationship between the world’s two largest economies. Trump on Tuesday cast…

US farmers are concerned about current economic conditions but are optimistic about the long-term outlook of the agricultural economy, according to survey results released on Oct. 7 by Purdue University…