For the third month in a row, agricultural producer sentiment weakened. The October Ag Economy Barometer declined to 121, three points lower than a month earlier. The modest decline occurred as a result of producers weaker perceptions regarding both current and future conditions in the production agriculture sector. Recent weakness in farmer sentiment appears to be driven by a wide …
NMPF’s Bjerga Discusses Opportunity in Reconciliation
We are hearing a lot about the budget reconciliation legislation, otherwise known as the Build Back Better Act, being discussed in Congress. During a recent interview on RFD-TV, National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Senior Vice President of Communications, Alan Bjerga, talked about some of the opportunities for dairy that’s currently in that legislation. The legislation also includes $27 billion in a once-in-a-generation …
USDA Provides $1.8 Billion to Offset Market Fluctuations
Farmers Can Now Make Elections, Enroll in Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage Programs (WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2021) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is in the process of issuing $1.8 billion in payments to agricultural producers who enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2020 crop year. These payments provide critical support …
High Demand for Meat Translates into Mostly Higher Prices
High demand for meat is translating into mostly higher prices. Stephanie Ho has more details. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Allows Viable Research in the Cattle IndustryFebruary 6, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Track Record Well Received By LegislatorsJanuary 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Supports Beef Education and Promotion ProgramsJanuary 23, 2026Florida Cattle Producers Proactive In Research Efforts Funded by the …
Crops Sector Received 65% of PPP Loans for Agriculture in 2020
Information updated by USDA’s Economic Research Service Wednesday shows 65 percent of Paycheck Protection Program 2020 agriculture funds went crop farms, with the rest for livestock. Last year, farmers and ranchers could use forgivable loans from the program to help keep employees on payroll and offset some of their operating costs. The maximum PPP loan amount was 2.5 times the …
Citrus Industry Seeks to Maintain Funding, Eyes Research
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, …