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The U.S. Drought Monitor shows drought coverage is now at its lowest level since spring of 2020, but USDA's topsoil moisture map shows it's still extremely dry in areas of the west and too wet in the east.

Lance Honig, acting director of the NASS methodology division, says budget constraints led to the agency's decision. The County Estimates data was used over the years, in part, to determine federal farm program payments.

USDA's April WASDE report showed larger wheat and soybean ending stocks, but smaller ending stocks for corn. More surprising, still, was the lack of changes to South America's crop estimates.

While the expectation is for cotton acres to increase in the June acreage report, another key question is if cotton demand can continue to find footing and support higher prices.

The Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor is a gauge of economists’ views on the ag economy. While outlooks have grown weaker, it’s the erosion in the future outlook that is sprouting fresh concerns.

The March Ag Economists' Monthly Monitor found nearly 80% of those surveyed say soybeans pencils better than corn this year, but economists still increased their corn acreage projections slightly in the latest survey.

“We are really in a second phase of ag tech,” says Ryan Raguse, co-founder of Bushel. “We aren’t in an overly mature state—we’re still somewhere in the middle ground."

USDA cut its estimate for Brazil’s soybean production by 1 MMT in the March WASDE report, which was less than what the trade expected. USDA didn’t make any cuts to Brazil’s corn.

The latest Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor projects a major drop in net farm income this year. Economists are also growing more pessimistic about the potential for interest rate cuts in 2024.

Reports say China has purchased more than 20 cargoes of feed grain in the past two weeks. Where is China buying from, and what's behind the sudden surge?

The barometer reported its lowest reading since May 2023, falling seven points from December and 24 points from January 2023.

No step is too big for Top Producer finalist, PJ Haynie. Deep family roots are the foundation of his farming legacy. 

Ag economists have little doubt Brazil will remain the world’s top exporter of soybeans, but with potential safrinha corn production problems, economists aren't confident Brazil can hang on to the top spot in corn.

Ag economists’ views on the ag economy took a dive in the first Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor of 2024; however, relatively strong balance sheets and working capital could provide a cushion for 2024. 

Just this week, China’s largest real estate firm was told it must liquidate after trying to restructure for two years. Some experts say the country is teetering on a recession.

With larger-than-expected yield revisions to both corn and soybeans, it leaves one burning question: which states grew such big yields in 2023? USDA NASS released maps and charts to help answer that.

USDA’s final look at crop production for 2023 caught the commodity markets by surprise. The agency increased the final yield estimates for both corn and soybeans, and as a result, prices plummeted on Friday. 

From drought issues posing problems in the Panama Canal to growing tensions and attacks in the Red Sea, it's causing freight rates to skyrocket and ongoing delays in shipping products around the globe. 

Despite the markets pricing in lower interest rates, Arlan Suderman expects inflation to rear its ugly head sometime in 2024.

Noted ag economist Dr. David Kohl forecasts tighter margins in the year ahead and emphasizes the need to globalize and future-proof operations. 

Brazil is seeing a sudden shift in weather with heavy rains now forecasted over the next two weeks. While it will bring relief to drought areas, it could cause harvest delays and issues planting the safrinha corn crop. 

U.S. biofuel use has plateaued in recent years, and the industry is seeking new ways to expand use. One promising outlet is more use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in the commercial aviation sector.

From the election to world trade, as well as geopolitical factors that have the potential to shape agriculture in 2024, the December Ag Economists' Monthly Monitor shows the possibility of several economic surprises.

Despite weather concerns sprouting in Brazil, USDA didn’t make any major adjustments to the South American crop in Friday's reports. Increased demand from China and Mexico prompted USDA to trim U.S. ending stocks.

Analysts say an initial cut could be made as early as first quarter 2024. One of the key factors the central banking system will consider is whether its inflation rate target of 2% has been achieved.

Welcome to a $9 million orgy of crop insurance fraud by an unassuming farm couple.

After Kevin Whitney’s iPhone fell into 220,000 bushels of grain, the device made a 20,000-mile roundtrip across the globe before returning to its stunned owner.

AgResource Company forecasts 80% of the soybean crop is planted as of today, but for some farmers it's been a year of replant for both corn and soybeans.

After two months of a waning outlook on the ag economy, economists views took a turn in the November Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor, a survey of nearly 70 ag economists from across the country.

The agency says exports picked up steam this year in countries such as Canada, India and Japan and that the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program will keep the wheels of progress turning in 2024.

According to a recent report from CoBank, an abundance of corn and soybeans has resulted in cheaper basis and bigger carries in futures markets.

Recent WASDE reports had assumed another record Brazilian soybean crop and Argentina returning to normal, but the El Niño weather pattern might have something to say about that. 

USDA upped its corn yield estimate by nearly 2 bu. to a 174.9 bu. per acre national yield. The agency also increased its demand estimate, which softened the potential blow of such a big jump in production.

Let this sink in: One state in Brazil — Mato Grosso — produces the equivalent of Illinois and Iowa’s soybean production combined. Here's a look at South America's growing regions, crop calendar and production capacity.

Chinese importers bought around 10 cargoes of soybeans, or about 600,000 metric tons, for shipment from Gulf Coast and Pacific Northwest export terminals between December and March.

Corn and soybean prices seem stuck. So, what catalyst could it take to move commodity prices higher? There are a few, but analysts say the reality is there’s simply no story at the moment.

Farmers are opting to tap into their savings from recent prosperous years instead of taking out loans at the highest interest rates since 2007, according to surveys conducted by regional Federal Reserve banks.

While the U.S. and EU aim to make progress during an upcoming summit, reaching a final agreement is uncertain. This issue has significant implications for U.S./EU ties, climate goals, and geopolitics.

Findings from CoBank's new quarterly report provides updates on the U.S. economy and agricultural markets.

China's Commerce minister expressed concerns over trade and tech restrictions to U.S. Senate Majority Leader this week. That's as the U.S. Commerce Department added 42 more Chinese companies to the export blacklist.

As pork producers’ potential profits continue to erode this year, some economists say 2023 could be financially worse than 1998, which is unearthing concerns about contraction, restructuring and vertical integration.

While ag economists continue to be at odds when it comes to the likelihood of a recession in the U.S., some doubt the country's biggest importers will be able to avoid a recession over the next 18 months.

If Congress doesn't pass stopgap funding, crop production and progress reports will probably stall. That won't bode well for markets. "Usually it means that we've got some selling pressure ahead,” says one analyst.

Ag economists’ view on the ag economy is starting to erode. The September Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor shows lower commodity prices, concerns about demand and a negative outlook for China’s economy.

There’s a new record farmland sale on the books. After a 15-min. bidding war between two area farmers, the gavel fell at $34,800 per acre, which is $4,800 more than the previous record set in November 2022 in Iowa.

As brent crude futures soar toward $100, it's creating a new battle in the Federal Reserve's effort to fight inflation. One money manager warns another rate hike is likely. 

Both Dan Basse and Chip Nellinger say considering how dry it’s been, crop yields could be falling, and USDA may be forced to make more cuts to the national yield forecasts in upcoming reports.  

There are just over two weeks for Congress to pass 12 spending bills to avoid a total government shutdown. If time runs out, one analyst says that could mean no USDA report in October and no yield cuts, which are likely.

Mizzou's Ben Brown says the 81.2 million bushels new crop export sale marks the largest week of sales for the 2023/24 marketing year to date and double the previous record weekly volume for the year set last week.

Even with red flags with demand and the economy, the August Ag Economists' Monthly Monitor shows economists continue to be impressed with the staying power of the U.S. ag economy, as well as the U.S. economy as a whole.