ag trade

Farmer sentiment drifted lower in December as the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer dropped 9 points to a reading of 136.   The decline was driven by producers’ weaker perspective on current conditions in U.S. agriculture and their farms, with the Index of Current Conditions falling 13 points to 100.  Although the ...

The USDA is projecting another record Ag trade deficit this fiscal year as imports surge and exports lag.  USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer says this is the 3rd year of this current trend.   “From ’23 to ’24, we saw more than a 10-billion-dollar year-over-year increase. This year, we’re looking at som...

How has USDA Ag trade changed over the course of a century? USDA Senior economist Sharon Sydow offers that view of changes at Ag trade from the 1920s.    “The agricultural economy was under some stress post World War I price volatility, debt foreclosures, high land value,” she stated.    To the pres...

A potential strike at three dozen U.S. ports could upend supply chains and raise prices weeks before election day.  According to Farm Policy News, the International Longshoremen’s Association will have 25,000 members walk off the job if the union doesn’t come to a new agreement with the U.S. Maritime Alliance,...

China’s Ministry of Commerce will initiate an anti-dumping investigation into canola seed imports from Canada.  This investigation is part of China’s response to Canada’s decision to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, steel, and aluminum.   “China is a valued...

Fiscal year 2025 could be one of belt tightening, especially for farmers who depend on exports.  USDA is projecting 2025 exports at $169.5 billion; down $4 billion from this current year, and down $26 .5 billion from two years ago.   “...

We now have the complete U.S. Ag trade numbers for the first nine months of this fiscal year October through June and the central theme running through it all.   “The continued cooling of U.S export values, which is really tied to the bulk commodities," said USDA economist Bart Kenner.   His la...

The Biden administration recently proposed tariff increases on goods entering the country from China.  The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will make its final determination later this month.   In May, the administration announced plans to raise Section 301 tariff rates on select goods from China, including electric vehicles, solar cells, and semiconductors.  Supply Chain...

U.S. agriculture is currently running a trade deficit of almost $19 billion and growing.  And while some say this reflects a weak noncompetitive American farm sector, one expert says that doesn’t tell the whole story.   “To look at the trade balance and say it's negative, so we're being outcompeted. It's, it's really oversim...

The Senate Agriculture Committee released a newsletter entitled “Farm Bill 101: Growing New Markets for Farmers.” This one-pager is designed to be easily digestible and explain trade markets in layman’s terms.