Economy and Trade

It wasn’t just the Northwest that saw large grain numbers in the latest USDA grain stock report.  The markets expected some big grain numbers in the most recent USDA grain stock report, and that's what they got.  For corn USDA put stocks at 1.76 billion bushels, ...

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said America is bracing for the impact of the massive dockworker strike that threatens to paralyze goods in and out of the U.S.  He pointed out that our nation relies on international trade for everything from electronics to machinery.   “...

With no new Farm Bill in place after the 2018 Farm Bill deadline passed on September 30th, there are already impacts on U.S. farmers and ranchers.   “Most of the impacts won't be felt until the new crop year, or for dairy producers, the impact will be felt beginning January 1," said Sam Kieffer, vice president of public policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation.  "But imm... Read Mo

Last month was a rough one for American farmers.  The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer for September recorded its lowest readings since March 2016.  Declining income expectations pushed farmer sentiment down as the barometer fell 12 points to 88, and the Index of Future Expectations dropped 14 points to 94.  The Index of Curr...

Lamb Weston announced this week that it has permanently closed it's potato processing plant in Connell, WA, laying off 375 employees.  That plant in south central Washington was responsible for a variety of frozen potato products including French Fries. ...

Agriculture Department economists are predicting that this year the foods we buy at the grocery store will go up in price by an average of 1.1%.  However, “Food away from home or restaurant, prices are predicted to increase by 4.1%, noted USDA econo...

Nobody may be happier to see the month of September come to an end than oil investors.  Oil prices experienced a volatile month, with prices all over the map, wrapping up the month below the $70 per barrel mark.  And those prices may continue to move lower, as OPEC looks at resorting oil production levels.   So, why wo...

“You know, I think it's fair to say that this administration has been pretty clear in terms of its support for the collective bargaining process," noted Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack when recently asked about the possibility of a dock workers strike this week at East Coast ports from New England down to Texas.   “...

NASS will kick off its biannual Agricultural Labor Survey in October.  More than 1,000 Northwest farmers and ranchers will be asked to participate in the survey On-line or by mail.  The survey allows producers to provide accurate information about hired farm labor, including total number of hired farm workers, total hours worked, and total wages paid for the weeks of July 7-13 and October 6-12.  

More and more farmers are being approached about leasing their land for solar or other alternative wind farms, and the rate at which these requests are coming have some in the ag community concerned.  Melissa Halpin, accredited rural appraiser, said since the Inflation Reduction Act was put into place in 2022, climate issues have become a top priority for the Administration.  And to ...