The USDA’s September Hogs and Pigs report places the September 1 inventory of all hogs and pigs at 75.4 million head, up about 1.3% from last quarter but down 3.9% from last year and well below the pre-report expected range…

Farmers in Brazil began planting in September for what is expected to be a recording-breaking 2021-2022 harvest. The first projection from CONAB (National Supply Company in Brazil) projects farmers will produce 289.6 million tons of soybeans, corn, cotton, rice, and…

Farmland returns have averaged around 10%, particularly when holding periods exceed 20 years. Even given this 10% average return, financing farmland is difficult because capital gains make up a large portion of total return. There is little reason to expect…

Not only has machinery values been increasing over time, so has the size of farms.  This study compares machinery values on Illinois grain farms enrolled in Illinois Farm Business Farm Management Association (FBFM) for years 2010 and 2020.  We also…

New details for a potential $3.5 trillion spending and tax package were released by the House Ways & Means Committee on Monday September 13, 2021, including a proposal for funding new policies advanced by Democrats. This package includes proposals for…

The Office of the Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently revised 2021 market year average (MYA) price projections to $5.45 per bushel for corn and $12.90 per bushel for soybeans. For both corn and soybeans, the 2021…

Reuters writer Karl Plume reported this week that, “U.S. soybean exports jumped last week to a six-month peak, while corn shipments were the highest in a month as Louisiana Gulf Coast terminals steadily ramped up operations disrupted nearly a month…

Wall Street Journal writers Jesse Newman and Bob Tita reported in Monday’s paper that, “A revival in the U.S. Farm Belt is in full swing, boosting markets for land and equipment and raising concerns over farmers’ escalating costs.”

Reuters writer Nigel Hunt reported last week that, “The International Grains Council (IGC) on Thursday raised its forecast for the 2021/22 global corn crop, predominately reflecting improved outlooks for the United States and Ukraine.”

Reuters writers Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw reported this week that, “The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is considering big cuts to the nation’s biofuel blending requirements, according to a document seen by Reuters, a move triggered by a…

In its monthly Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook report last week, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) stated that, “In July, U.S. beef exports totaled 297 million pounds, exceeding last July’s exports by 17.9 percent or 45 million pounds.”

Reuters writer Julie Ingwersen reported earlier this week that, “U.S. grain exports increased last week as shippers along the Louisiana Gulf Coast recovered from flooding and widespread power outages caused by Hurricane Ida’s Aug. 29 landfall, but volumes were much…