Ukraine

Predicting farm income every year is a challenging task for a variety of reasons.  USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer, said farm income should be strong this year despite a lot of volatility.   “When one looks at farm income and one looks at a very high scale, farm income looks pretty good. We're forecasting f...

Because of the disruptions of grain shipments out of Ukraine and many questions surrounding just how much of that food will be available to nations that need it, and at what price, a number of countries have imposed restrictions of exports of their own ag products, such as wheat and rice...

Fuel prices continue to move higher after OPEC nations announced last week that production would be cut by two million barrels per day starting next month.  Economic experts say this will send fuel prices soaring, and could put the global economy in a tailspin.  OPEC of...

Ag officials from the G20 recently meet in Indonesia.  The USDA’s Dr. Jewel Bronaugh says they discussed efforts to end global hunger and poverty and much more.   “I think the theme that ran through the ministerial was the condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impact on global food security.”   Bronaugh noted not onl...

There’s a long way to go, but commodity markets are watching U.S. harvest results.   “Early yield reports I’m getting, coupled with the cash basis, is the market, and I are both thinking that USDA has got a low enough yield in these corn and bean numbers at this point," said Mike Zuzolo, founder and president of Global Commodity Analytics.  "And with export dem...

The USDA’s 2022-2023 September wheat production forecast is unchanged from August at 1.783 billion bushels.  2022-2023 wheat exports are also unchanged from the previous month at 825 million bushels, and there are no by-class changes.  U.S. wheat ex...

The California legislature recently passed a bill outlawing land sales to foreign countries to help protect the nation’s food supply.   “Food can, and is, being used as a weapon like we’re seeing in Ukraine,” said the bill’s author, state Senator Melissa Hurtado. “Recent reports have shown that a nati...

2022 has been a challenge for ag retailers and their customers due to supply shortages and high prices.  Crop Life magazine says global uncertainty has affected key fertilizer sources like Russia, China, and Ukraine, adding even more stress to the marketplace last spring.  Looking...

USDA’s preliminary fiscal year 2023 trade forecast is marked by huge uncertainty, according to Chief Economist Seth Meyer.  USDA’s initial export forecast for 2023 is down roughly $2.5 billion dollars on lower volumes of beef, cotton, and sorghum, while imports are up $5 billion dollars for a new record.  But Meyer said the ...

Global food prices dropped for a fifth-straight month after a seasonal rise in supplies took place and demand dropped for some products.  The northern hemisphere wheat harvest is helping to ease supply concerns as more grain moves out of Ukraine.  A ...