Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Economy”
From Columbus to the Cotton Gin: The Crop That Changed a Nation In this edition of the American Agriculture History Minute, Mark Oppold shares a pivotal chapter in American farming—how cotton became one of the nation’s most transformative crops. When Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World in 1492, he discovered cotton growing wild. It wasn’t long before the crop …
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced American agricultural producers will have greater market access to Thailand and Vietnam while maintaining access to Brazil. USDA says the Trump Administration continues to break down non-tariff barriers and defend current market access, and these latest actions are some of many wins ahead for American producers. U.S. dairy producers will maintain access to …
With the release of the Senate’s version of the “Big Beautiful Bill”, livestock industry groups are noting their support of the language in the bill. The US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry released their legislative text for the Big Beautiful Bill Earlier this week including support for the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program, the National Animal …
Health conditions of the 2025 U.S. winter wheat crop were described as the “second-worst ever” last Fall. As harvest ramps up, Reuters says winter wheat ratings now sit at a six-year-high point for early June. It’s precisely what U.S. exporters need to continue and possibly grow their impressive sales numbers into next year. As of last weekend, the USDA rated …
Cattle feeders continue pushing the pencil hard looking at risk management options out into summer. Cattle and feeder cattle futures outperformed our expectations last week but are seeing that pullback that we expected and after contract highs we’re now keeping an eye on recent lows that are very important to hold for cattle feeders and their hedging replacements. August live …
Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute looks into why a farmland auction usually draws a good-sized crowd. But, on a bitter, cold February morning in 2025, temperatures outside in central Iowa nearly zero, a group so large it was standing room only. Why? They were watching an Iowa farm change hands for the first time since 1882. 636 acres …
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) continues to get a lot of pushbacks on a proposal to expand agricultural futures trade to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. CFTC maintains that a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week trade would make the market more vibrant and reflect the changing dynamics in world trade. They add, though, it is open to a 24-6 …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a statement this week regarding disaster aid for farmers. With the process of distributing federal disaster aid to some states still ongoing, USDA Director of Communications Seth W. Christensen criticized Congressional Democrats in his statement for, “politicizing disaster aid for farmers in need across the country.” Christensen’s statement said, “Congressional Democrats are playing …
In a story from the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB), farmer sentiment in May climbed to its highest level since May of 2021. The Purdue University CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index reached 158, 10 points above April. Behind the sentiment improvement, farmers’ views were much more optimistic about U.S. agricultural export prospects combined with a less negative view …
As tariff discussions and trade negotiations continue, the need for fair and free trade amongst nations is a key factor for the cattle industry according to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. We spoke with Kent Bacus, Executive Director of Government Affairs with NCBA who highlighted the non-tariff items that could impact the cattle industry. To learn more, visit southeastagnet.com. Dale …
