By Michael Langemeier Recent consumer and producer surveys indicate that individuals are expecting inflation in the next year to be higher than it was in 2024. Though not perfectly correlated, input prices for agricultural producers can be affected by changes in general inflation. During the 1973–2024 period, the average annual increase for…

By Cami Koons Despite another week of rainy conditions, which left an average of just over three days suitable for field work, Iowa farmers have more corn and soybeans in the ground than this time last year.  Corn planted in the state reached 49%, which is three days ahead of…

Crossing beef cattle with dairy cattle is nothing new, but in recent years, industry professionals have been working to help dairy farmers select beef genetics that produce profitable “beef-on-dairy” cattle. “When the dairy industry first started doing beef-on-dairy, it was just, ‘Give me a black bull,’” said David Erf, a…

DAILY Bites U.S. farmer sentiment rose in April, with the Ag Economy Barometer increasing to 148, driven by greater optimism about both current conditions and future expectations. The Farm Capital Investment Index reached its highest point since May 2021, reflecting a post-election shift toward more willingness to invest—though caution remains…

The April World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report showed corn carryout decreasing by 75 million bushels, soybean ending stocks decreasing by 5 million bushels, and wheat ending stocks increasing by 27 million bushels. Next week’s report will give the market its first glimpse of 2025/2026 production and demand…

“This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.” In parts of California’s Central Valley, so much groundwater has been pumped out of the ground to deal with the region’s persistent drought that the land is starting to sink in. Underground aquifers — layers of sand, gravel,…