Latest News From Supply Chain

Fertilizer and herbicide prices continue to fall, and there are signs the decline will continue. Now the issue is the number of ag retailers sitting on high-priced inputs, which are often passed on to farmers.

Russia badly needs to replace expended and outdated Soviet arms while China needs Russian energy. That is compelling math. This is bad news not just for the heroic people of Ukraine, but Europe and the US.

The National Farm Machinery Show revealed one major theme: the supply chain is still posing major problems for ag equipment manufacturers, an issue that's improving, but could still last the remainder of this year.

Supply chain challenges consistently hit ag in 2022.  While 2023 shows improvement with fertilizer availability, National Farm Machinery Show revealed the ag equipment sector is still fragile to supply problems.

As farmers prepare to plant this spring, 2023 isn’t as much of a guessing game in terms of certain inputs supplies. BASF says the company isn’t seeing a shortage of glufosinate this year.

From the docks of Southern California and Europe to the parcel hubs in the Midwest and the store shelves in New York, signs are growing that the global supply chain crisis is over.

“There is a problem with people thinking the pullback of Covid-zero measures is equivalent to the economy reopening, which it is not." says Leland Miller, CEO of research firm China Beige Book.

Shippers urged the U.S. railroad regulator to create more competition in the industry during hearings in which Union Pacific was called to explain a spike in service restrictions.

According to Biden’s economic advisors, as many as 765,000 Americans — many union workers themselves — would have been put out of work in the first two weeks of shutdowns.

Pelosi said the House this week will “take up a bill adopting the tentative agreement—with no poison pills or changes to the negotiated terms—and send it to the Senate.” Some industry leaders feel it will pass.

Unions are arguing railroads haven't done enough to address worker concerns, largely surrounding working conditions and paid time off.

Friday brought mixed news for the economy. So, is the U.S. officially in a recession? K-State economists say it's more important to watch changes in behaviors versus debating the definition of recession.

A labor strike along U.S. railroads is still a possibility after the third-largest railroad union rejected a tentative labor agreement this week. The agreement had the support of the White House.

Transportation troubles have plagued agriculture all year, and experts say supply chain problems could persist through 2023 for farmers, which is unwelcome news for farmers already seeing problems sourcing parts.

Low Mississippi River water levels are a concern for moving inputs like fertilizer. The worry comes as Florida, a key fertilizer-producing state, cleans up after Hurricane Ian. What will the fertilizer price impact be?

USDA unveiled additional plans to help boost domestic fertilizer production including $500 million in grants and reduce the risk of a series of black swans that have flown into the fertilizer market the past two years.

As backlogs at U.S. ports and climbing shipping rates plague the supply chain, new data shows container shipping rates between the U.S and China are dropping by more than 50% in  just a month.