Despite a predicted drop in citrus production across Florida, orange juice sales are tracking up. And according to the News Service of Florida, the industry wants lawmakers to maintain current amounts of state marketing and research funding next fiscal year. Meanwhile, efforts to combat citrus greening disease could soon lead to a new University of Florida-backed variety of citrus on …
Larger Livestock Loans Boost Farm Lending
Demand for livestock loans grew in the third quarter, boosting agricultural lending activity. However, demand for operating loans was more subdued, and total non-real estate lending remained near its average of the past decade. The Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Wednesday said the average size of loans for some livestock categories reached an all-time high and contributed to the increased …
Legislation Introduced to Provide Pricing Leverage for Cattle Producers
Wednesday, Ranking Member of the Livestock & Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee Dusty Johnson (R-S.D) and Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) introduced the bipartisan Cattle Contract Library Act of 2021 (H.R. 5609), which would create a library for cattle contracts within the USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service. Currently, USDA maintains a pork contract library, and following significant volatility in the cattle market and the release of the …
Commissioner Nikki Fried on TS Elsa Secretarial Disaster Designation for Three Florida Counties
(Tallahassee, FL/October 20, 2021) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has informed Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) that it has granted a Secretarial disaster designation in several counties in Georgia and Florida due to losses caused by Tropical Storm Elsa, excessive wind, and excessive rainfall that occurred on July 7, 2021. With this designation, impacted producers …
Growth in Tractor Sales Continues to Outpace 2020
Overall sales of tractors continue their growth above an already-hot pace set in 2020, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. U.S. total farm tractor sales climbed 2.5 percent in September compared to 2020. The sub-40 horsepower category stayed moderately positive, growing 0.4 percent, while the mid-size 41-100 horsepower segment was up 2.4 percent. Heavy-duty units saw another big month, …
Strong Cotton Demand and Lower Production Leads to Strong Prices
A strong demand for cotton, coupled with lower production, is leading to stronger forecast prices. Stephanie Ho has more details. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Offers Unique Opportunity For Applied ResearchOctober 24, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Plays Major Role in Applied Beef Cattle ResearchOctober 17, 2025FCEB Recurring Funding Provides Opportunity for Longer Term Research ProjectsOctober 10, 2025
House Ag Committee Dems Want Ag Spending Preserved
House Ag Committee Chair David Scott and fellow Democrats sent a letter to House and Senate leadership asking them to preserve the ag spending provisions in the Build Back Better Act. They point out that the provisions included in the agriculture portion of the Build Back Better Act will make transformative investments that will benefit agricultural producers and rural communities …
Higher Loan Limit Now Available for USDA Guaranteed Farm Loans
This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced higher loan limits will be available for borrowers seeking a guaranteed farm loan. The loan limit, as of October 1, 2021, went from $1.776 million to $1.825 million. FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux said “Farm loans are critical for our customers’ annual operating and family living expenses, emergency needs, and cash flow.” …
More States See Record Land Prices
Many states are experiencing record land prices across the Midwest. Aggressive bidding continued into summer and the fall selling season, with new high prices often being reached in Iowa. But the land market is also strong in most other crop regions. Farmers National Company recently sold a client’s land in northeast Nebraska at a simulcast auction for $12,950-$13,400 per acre, …
September Ag Economy Barometer Reveals Decline
Sentiment among agricultural producers weakened in September as the Ag Economy Barometer declined 14 points to a reading of 124. This is the weakest farmer sentiment reading since July 2020, when the index stood at 118. Producers were less optimistic about current and future conditions on their farms and the agricultural sector than a month earlier. There was a sharp …