President Joe Biden recently announced a new initiative to fund repairs of the nation’s bridges, to the tune of $26.5 billion. A lot of the public focus on this has been on bridges in big cities, so AgNet Media National Correspondent Sabrina Halvorson talked to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to find out how this will help people outside of …
Input Prices Greatest Threat for 2022
The Latest Rural Mainstreet Index shows rising input prices as the top threat in 2022 for farmers. Released Thursday, the index declined in January, though it remained above growth neutral for the 14th straight month. Overall, the region’s reading for January fell to 61.1 from December’s 66.7. The index ranges between 0 and 100, with a reading of 50.0 representing …
Farmland Market Ended Strong in 2021
Farmland sales continued at a torrid pace at Farmers National Company during the last quarter of 2021. The dollar volume of land sold by the company during October through December was up 53 percent compared to last year and up 106 percent from two years ago. The number of transactions was up 23 percent, and total acres sold were up …
Fertilizer Price Spike Highest Since Great Recession
During January’s Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia, Daniel Tregeagle, an Extension economist with North Carolina State University, gave a presentation on economic and regulatory trends impacting citrus and specialty crop growers. MODEST MARKET GROWTH The biggest blip on the proverbial economic radar has been COVID-19 and its continuing effects. Tregeagle noted these impacts mostly will be transient, and the …
AEM Releases Year-End 2021 Equipment Sales Numbers
Nearly 360,000 total tractors and combines left dealer lots in 2021 in North America. U.S. and Canadian unit sales of ag tractors and combines finished 2021 with gains of more than ten percent in nearly every segment in both countries. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) released the data last week showing U.S. total farm tractor sales gained 0.3 percent …
USDA to Measure Financial Well-Being of Farmers and Ranchers
The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has started gathering information about farm economics and production practices from farmers and ranchers as the agency conducts the third and final phase of the 2021 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). NASS will reach out to more than 30,000 ???????? producers nationwide through April, including nearly 4,100 producers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South …
Lower Beef Output, but Higher Steer Prices for 2022
The trends we saw in meat consumption and meat prices last year may continue here in 2022. And according to a story from Gary Crawford, cattle producers may get a little more money for their steers this year. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses …
Farmer Sentiment Rises on Strengthening Current Financial Position
For only the second time since May, the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose in December. This month’s index climbed to 125, nine points higher than in November. The Index of Current Conditions and the Index of Future Expectations rose in December, attributable mostly to an improved perspective on current conditions in the agricultural sector. A more positive outlook …
New Competition Laws Announced at White House Event
An event at the White House Monday focused on competition in agriculture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Justice are working together to enforce federal competition laws that protect farmers, ranchers, and other ag producers from unfair and anticompetitive practices. AgNet Media’s Sabrina Halvorson has more. The new plan includes issuing new and stronger rules under the …
Record Prices for Sheep & Lamb
According to a report from the Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC), the sheep and lamb industry is shaping up to have a record setting year for prices in 2021. This is news that pleases the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI). Feeder lamb prices have tracked above 2020 levels every week this year except for one week back in March. In February, a record price was …