Latest News From Consumer Demands

CoBank has released their 2024 outlook report, which takes a look at the key themes the organization expects to shape agricultural and the rural economy in the coming year.

ADM recently surveyed consumers and decision-makers in the retail and consumer-packaged goods sectors on consumer trust, purchase consideration, and future regenerative agriculture trends for CPGs and retailers.

If you’re tempted to build a beehive in your backyard, think twice. And instead of resorting to thoughtless prohibitions in the name of favored insects, let’s look for innovations trusting farmers to do the right thing.

“These tax credits, which encourage the use of more eco-friendly fuels, could make or break the prospects of corn ethanol as a sustainable aviation fuel," says Jim Wiesemeyer, ProFarmer policy analyst.

The food system is being reimagined today and farmers can benefit by thinking about how to improve their ability to take advantage of opportunities in the process, says Rob Dongoski with Ernst and Young.

Without the Office of Management and Budget approval, states will be unable to sell E15 fuel in the summer months.

The food system is undergoing transformation, says Rob Dongoski, Ernst & Young. He pulled back the curtain on three ways it will change and how farmers can be ready during a presentation at the 2023 Top Producer Summit.

Consumer preferences can totter between fads and trends. For farmers to capitalize on consumer demands, they must be able to sort out which market opportunities to pursue, says Rob Dongoski with Ernst & Young.

The consumer no longer can absorb higher costs. Tanner Ehmke with CoBank says that lighter foot traffic is seen in some grocery stores, while discount retailers have seen a significant increase in foot traffic.

“In the last 2,500 years, every Chinese government that has fallen, has fallen over food,” says Kuehl, Armada chief economist. “They need those import markets—be it from the U.S, Canada, Brazil or Australia."

According to Secretary Vilsack, these efforts will “increase the competitive advantage of U.S. agriculture both domestically and internationally,” while building wealth in rural America.

Empty dinner plates can quickly translate to lack of world peace. Just ask Sen. Ernst, who gave a political rundown of food security as national security at Iowa State University last week.

The Ducheneaux family reconnects consumers with their food source 

Patrick Montgomery is in the business of delivering customers the best steaks they'll ever eat. Along the way, he may have just created the best hot dog anyone has ever tasted as well.

The American Farm Bureau says average cost for 10 people is less than $6 per person.

Michael Swanson says it’ll take fleet turnover to bring great change to gasoline consumption, and he says two factors will drive that adoption—federal policy and battery technologies.

Indiana musician with bizarre instrument gleans inspiration from the farms and fields near his home helping his Christmas and pop song arrangements go viral.

After two years of testing its supply chain tracing technology with Bayer in the U.S. and Brazil, BlockApps says it’s ready to expand its digitization of agriculture.

Thirty-two million food boxes have been delivered as part of USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program. The Food Bank of Northern Indiana shows how the program is making a difference in people’s lives.

To recognize the resilience of scientists, farmers, truck drivers, shelf stockers and countless others, BBC’s Follow the Food series will look at how those in the food industry are keeping us fed during the pandemic.

One of the world’s largest supply chains is opening a case-ready beef plant and establishing its own angus supply chain. CoBank recently released a report about the plant.

Following a decade with the introduction of societal shifters such as the smartphone and the adoption of robotic milkers, 2020 could be the starting block for the fastest technological race in farming history.

We broke the mega trends down to five key categories. Here are the mega trends for consumer-driven demands.

Food companies and farmers must adapt and adopt to purpose-driven purchasers

The rise of farmer’s markets to home-delivery meal kits to niche brands claiming gluten-free and sunshine-fed products are just a few clues the food landscape is cluttered, confusing and changing.