Top Agriculture News

Farmland prices continued rising throughout 2023. Randy Dickhut, farmland sales specialist with Agricultural Economic Insights, says rising prices were a little surprising given the economic conditions. “With the issues of higher input costs, higher interest rates, and challenges to the farm income outlook for the year as we started, it slowed the market down. Everybody […]

Listen, it just seems like I’ve been with you for the 80 years of this association. But it is good to be back and I think I’ve got quite a bit to talk about today. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spoke at the National Association of Frm Broadcasting convention in Kansas City last week. Something […]

Across farm country producers have been calling for changes to the H2A program to allow for less bureaucracy and more efficiency. The house agricultural labor working group has now released an interim report highlighting the issues exacerbating the lack of available domestic workforce. Its impact on our nation’s domestic food supply and potential solutions. North […]

Drought was a big part of the agriculture story in 2023. Drew Lerner, Senior Agricultural Meteorologist with World Weather Inc., says the 2023 story began three years ago. “I think the routes in 2023 go back to 2020. We entered this particular solar cycle in 2020. It happens to be a very unique solar cycle. […]

Trade is always an important topic for agriculture. Alexis Taylor, USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, says commodity trade doesn’t just support farmers. “In 2021, US agricultural exports supported more than 1.2 million jobs and generated nearly $190 billion in additional economic activity. That economic activity is not only critical to supporting the […]

The Purdue University Ag Economy Barometer was started in 2015. It’s a monthly survey of 400 different farmers every month. Dr. James Mintert of Purdue says the most recent survey showed a slight improvement in producer sentiment. “If you look at the most recent survey, which we did in mid-October, it suggested that there was […]

Agricultural credit conditions softened during the third quarter of 2023. Data from Kansas City Fed’s Tenth District Farm indicates income and loan repayment rates were lower than a year ago for the second straight quarter. The moderation was more pronounced in areas hit hardest by drought, but more tempered in areas most concentrated in cattle […]

This is the Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at [email protected] or 843-540-4540. The Thanksgiving week usually brings some lighter than normal volumes which can sometimes mean more volatility. If something major happens to move the market, big orders can move the market more than they would if we had normal […]

Thanksgiving is this week. It’s a holiday with special significance in the ag industry. Yes, Mike. This is a big holiday for local agriculture. People are eating regional American foods. They’re focusing on American agricultural products like turkey, sweet potatoes, collard greens and cranberries. Some good news on that front: The American Farm Bureau Federation […]

Military members receive a 20% discount on N.C. Forest Service tree seedling orders through November. Discount available for active, retired and honorable discharged members.  I am very proud of the N.C. Forest Service’s Nursery and Tree Improvement program, which raises tree seedlings from seeds collected from native trees throughout the year.  I wish […]