Rob Johansson

Corn and wheat lobbyists are making the rounds in Washington, D.C., and trying to get a better trade-aid deal for their growers than they got in the first round.  The Hagstrom Report said soybean growers made out much better in the first round of trade aid because they were hit hardest when China stopped accepting soybean imports.  U....

The USDA is in the middle of implementing portions of the 2018 Farm Bill.  But what could a 2040 Farm Bill look like?  USDA Chief Economist Dr. Rob Johannson recently looked into the future 20 years, and he sat down with Rod Bain.         If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekradio.com...

The Department of Agriculture will release data for the upcoming USDA Agricultural Projections to 2028 report. The data tables, due out Thursday, will include projections for farm income, U.S. fruits, nuts and vegetables supply and use, and global commodity trade...

USDA expects farm income and farm asset values to fall this year, which could lead to additional farm debt.  Even though foreign cash receipts and government payments to farmers have been generally higher compared to last year, USDA Chief Economist Rob Johansson says that's not enough to offset rising expenses.  Be...

The USDA released its 2018 Farm Income Forecast Monday, and net cash income and net farm income are both expected to drop from 2017 figures.  USDA Chief Economist Rob Johannson said that decrease will be slightly less than what the USDA had projected back in August. ...

It came as no surprise when the Federal Reserve recently moved interest rates higher, a one-quarter-percent hike in short-term interest rates.  The Fed said the increase is to keep the overall U.S. economy strong.  But for the farm economy, rate hikes in the past have tended to have the opposite affect.   ...

Last week, senators peppered Trump Administration officials at USDA and the Office of the Trade Representative with questions regarding trade policy.  The Thursday hearing focused on the Trump Administration’s policies and the resulting harm to American farmers from retaliatory tariffs.  Both Republic...

The Senate Agriculture Committee will hold a trade hearing next week, titled “Perspectives on U.S. Agricultural Trade.” Among those attending the hearing is Rob Johansson, the Chief Economist at the Department of Agriculture and mastermind behind the USDA trade mitigation package formulas. The hearin...

The latest USDA farm income forecast has average net cash income for farm businesses dropping this year by almost 20%, the fourth yearly decline in a row.  USDA chief economist Rob Johansson said this is just one factor leading to what seems to be a drop in the general health of the farm sector. He ...

Despite tariffs and trade disruptions, the USDA said they saw an increase in the 2018 export estimate.  USDA is now in its new forecast raising the export projection by $1.5 million dollars from its May forecast, up to $144 billion, which would be $3.8 bi...