ABA and Farmer Mac release first biannual survey of agricultural lenders Nearly 90 percent of agricultural lenders have seen an overall decline in farm profitability in the last 12 months, …
Ag Producer Sentiment Inches Higher in April
By Jim Mintert, David Widmar and Michael Langemeier Purdue University/CME Group Producer sentiment inched higher during April as the Ag Economy Barometer increased to 130. The latest result for the …
Rural Economy Index Lower Again
The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index remained weak with a reading below growth neutral for the 20th straight month, according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas …
Ag Confidence Grows as Latest DTN/PF Survey Suggests Strong Future
Farmers, ranchers remain concerned on current conditions; optimistic about future Despite continued flat commodity prices, attitudes of U.S. farmers took a solid leap into positive territory, according to the most …
USDA: Agriculture a $992 Billion Economic Factor
Data by the Department of Agriculture shows agriculture and agriculture-related industries contributed $992 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product in 2015, a 5.5-percent share, the most recent USDA statistics.The …
Purdue Ag Economy Barometer Shows Slip in Confidence
The Ag Economy Barometer from Purdue University found confidence among farmers and ranchers slipped again last month. The Barometer slipped to 124 in March, marking the second month in a …
Federal Reserve Makes Expected Interest Rate Increase
The U.S. Federal Reserve has again elected to move forward with interest rate increases following a meeting Wednesday. Widely expected, the decision raises the Fed’s benchmark rate to a range …
Global Food Prices Edging Higher
Global food prices trended higher in February, increasing half a percent compared to January. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations released its Food Price Index Monday. Sponsored …
Farm Credit System Able To Weather Economic Downturn
Loan delinquencies and other signs of repayment problems are expected to increase in 2017 among farmers and ranchers. Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report says in spite of that, the farm credit …
Farm Sector Working Capital to Decrease in 2017
Farm financial liquidity describes how easily members of the farm sector can convert assets to cash in order to meet short term debt obligations. One measure of liquidity is working …
AFBF President Addresses USDA Ag Outlook Forum
“This could be the best of times…and possibly the worst of times in agriculture,” according to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall, who spoke last week at the Department …
Rural Mainstreet Index Improving
Rural Mainstreet Climbs to Highest Level Since September 2015: But Only 15 Percent Report Expanding Economy February Survey Results at a Glance: * The overall index, while remaining below growth neutral, rose …
House Agriculture Committee Prepares for Farm Bill by Exploring Economic Outlook in Rural America
The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to review the economic challenges facing rural America. Members heard from several witnesses who highlighted these factors, including low farm commodity prices, declining net farm income, tightening credit conditions, a strong …
Net Farm Income Expected to Dip further in 2017
Highlights From the February 2017 Farm Income Forecast Farm sector profitability measures are mixed for 2017. A narrow cash-based measure, net cash farm income, is forecast to rise by $1.6 …