We have recently released a new Insurance Evaluator on the farmdoc website (https://fd-tools.ncsa.illinois.edu/evaluator). The revised tool takes into account recent increases in premium support for the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO)…

US grain storage capacity grew parallel to production from 2000-2019 but has stagnated since 2020. Combined with rising production, this led to record 80% on-farm capacity utilization in December 2025. The storage constraint raises concerns about supply chain bottlenecks and questions about future investment incentives.

After increasing by 9.1% in 2024, current U.S. farm debt is expected to increase 3.8% in 2025 (USDA-ERS, 2026).  Current debt includes operating loans and principal payments related to machinery,…

The US crop safety net has been a remarkably adaptive, evolutionary policy. But, 21st Century assistance is raising the question of excessive levels for barley, corn, cotton, oats, peanuts, rice, sorghum, soybeans, and wheat, the crops that USDA ERS computes an economic cost of production. Since 2000, annual market net return on average fell 4.2%/year below economic cost of production for these nine crops, but safety net payments averaged 12.7%/year of costs, more than triple the level needed to cover losses.

Increases in both interest rates and average loan sizes have led to significant increases in both interest expenses and first-year loan payments faced by FSA farm loan borrowers over the last twenty years. Between 2005 and 2025, guaranteed operating loans faced the largest increase in total first-year interest expenses, increasing 97% on average. This contributed to an increase in average first-year loan payment levels for guaranteed operating loans of 91%.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act dramatically increased the premium support on Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) crop insurance policies from 65% to 80%. The Risk Management Agency of the USDA then announced in August of 2025 that premium support would also be increased to 80% for the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) and other similar programs. As a result, farmer-paid premiums for SCO and ECO will be reduced in 2026.

The U.S. Courts report that 315 farm bankruptcies were filed in calendar year 2025, up 46% from 2024. While still down from recent highs, this is the second year in…

President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order temporarily expanding the amount of beef the U.S. can import from Argentina, a move the White House says is aimed at…

In a sign of growing stress for U.S. farmers, the Agriculture Department forecast on Thursday that U.S. net farm income would fall 0.7% this year, despite near-record government payments that…

A bipartisan group of former leaders of America’s major agricultural commodity associations and biofuels organizations, farmer leaders, and former senior USDA officials sent congressional ag leaders a letter on Tuesday…

The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday issued a proposed rule governing how biofuel makers can access a $1-per-gallon tax credit for low-carbon transportation fuels, including aviation fuel. The rule was…

Farmers and repair shops are allowed to temporarily override emission control systems for repair purposes, according to guidance issued by the Environmental Protection Agency Monday.