Reuters writers Mei Mei Chu and Amy Lv reported Monday that “China’s soybean imports from Brazil in 2023 jumped 29% from the prior year, customs data showed on Saturday, expanding the South American grower’s dominance in the world’s largest soybean market and eating into the U.S. market share.” China’s total soybean imports in 2023, Reuters’ […]
Ryan Hanrahan
Ryan Hanrahan is the Farm Policy News editor and social media director for the farmdoc project. He has previously worked in local news, primarily as an agriculture journalist in the American West. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri (B.S. Science & Agricultural Journalism). He can be reached at rrh@illinois.edu.
Farm Bill Could Face Further Delays
Politico’s Garrett Downs reported this past week that the continuing resolution (CR) passed on Jan. 18 to avert a government shutdown and fund the federal government until early March could derail House Ag Committee Chairman “Rep. G.T. Thompson’s (R-Pa.) optimistic plans to move the House version of the farm bill that same month (March).” “Thompson […]
Fed’s January Ag Economy Observations
The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday released its January 2024 Beige Book update, a summary of commentary on current economic conditions by Federal Reserve District. While the report covers generalized “regional economic conditions and prospects,” it also includes the following observations pertaining to the U.S. agricultural economy. Sixth District — Atlanta “Low cattle supply led […]
High Interest Costs Could Weigh On Farmland Demand
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Ty Kreitman reported yesterday that “higher interest rates and a moderation in agricultural commodity prices have cut potential returns and could dampen demand for farmland—and thus farmland values—going forward.” The potential for lower farmland demand is largely driven by the fact that, “In 2023, interest costs on new […]
Brazil soybean group disagrees with high production estimates
Reuters’ Ana Mano reported yesterday that Aprasoja Brasil — “an association representing thousands of grain farmers in Brazil projects production of 135 million metric tons of soybeans in the 2023/2024 cycle.” That production estimate is significantly lower than private estimates, the United States Department of Agriculture estimate and Brazilian crop agency Conab’s estimate from earlier […]
USDA projects record 2023 corn yield
Corn growers in the United States achieved a new record yield of 177.3 bushels per acre in 2023, the United States Department of Agriculture estimated this past Friday. The projection was released as part of a plethora of reports covering crop production in 2023, winter wheat seedings and grain stocks, among others. The 2023 corn […]
Argentina’s Rosario Exchange increases soybean and corn production estimates
Bloomberg reporter Jonathan Gilbert reported yesterday that “Argentina is on course to produce its best soybean crop in five seasons — 52 million metric tons — as El Nino-fueled rains water fields that were parched by several years of drought.” “An Argentine soy harvest of 52 million tons would surpass last year’s miserly crop by 160%, impacting […]
Red Sea Attacks Continue, Could Affect U.S. Corn
Reuters reported yesterday that “U.S. and British naval forces shot down 21 drones and missiles fired by Yemen-based Houthis on Tuesday towards the southern Red Sea, the United States said, with Britain hinting at further measures to protect international shipping lanes.” The attack was the largest attack by the Houthis in the Red Sea since mid-November, […]
German Farmers Protest Ag Subsidy Cuts
CNBC writer Sophie Kiderlin reported at the beginning of this week that “Farmers across Germany on Monday began protests against the government’s economic and agricultural policies, blocking roads and highways with tractors and marching through major cities.” “Farmers are protesting the government’s plans to reduce or withdraw tax breaks for the agriculture sector, which were […]
El Niño could bring record heat in 2024
Despite a crushing winter storm currently working its way across the United States, some scientists are predicting that 2024 “may beat 2023 as the hottest year in recorded history,” according to Bloomberg reporting from Zahra Hirji, Olivia Rudgard, and Brian Kahn. “In 2023, the average was about 1.4C higher than the pre-industrial era; early estimates suggest […]
Lawmakers looking to avoid another government shutdown
As the United States Congress returns to session this week, “lawmakers will, once again, have less than 10 working days to avert a shutdown in some of the federal government’s agencies, including the Agriculture Department,” Politico’s Garrett Downs reports. “That’s due to the last stopgap resolution’s ‘laddered’ approach, which created two separate deadlines for two […]
California’s Proposition 12 Takes Full Effect
California’s Proposition 12 farm animal confinement law took full effect at the beginning of the year, a little more than 5 years after voters approved it as a ballot measure in the state. The law “bars sales in California of pork, veal and eggs from animals whose confinement failed to meet certain minimum space requirements,” […]
Corn futures fall more than 30% in 2023
Grain futures ended 2023 significantly in the red, according to recent Reuters reporting from Brendan O’Brien, with corn futures suffering their “biggest yearly drop in a decade while wheat and soybeans also posted steep annual declines after bumper harvests in Brazil and resilient Black Sea trade tempered concerns about weather and war.” The most active […]
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A new analysis released by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and Prospect Partners LLC finds that the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency were among those hardest hit by USDA-wide staffing cuts in 2025.
Farmers Struggling to Get Services from Depleted USDA Workforce
Across the country, farmers and rural residents describe struggling to obtain the basic services the Agriculture Department is meant to offer, including loans and grants, technical assistance and financing for housing and utilities.
Farm Aid
The Wall Street Journal’s Patrick Thomas reported that “Uncle Sam is slated to fork over more money than ever to help ease American farmers’ economic woes. The Agriculture Department earlier this year estimated that direct payments to farmers would hit $44 billion in 2026. That meant government payments could account for more than a quarter […]