Tag Archives: economy

After peaking at 6.8 million farms in 1935, the number of U.S. farms and ranches fell sharply through the early 1970s. Rapidly falling farm numbers in the mid-20th century reflect the growing productivity of agriculture, increased mechanization, and increased nonfarm employment opportunities. Since 1982, the number of U.S. farms has continued to decline, but much more slowly. In 2022, there ... Read More »

From agweb.com For 2022, USDA reports the value of the nation’s cropland is $5,050. That’s up $630, or 14%, from 2021. This year’s figure marks back-to-back record highs in cropland values. Since 2014, the value of U.S. cropland had hovered around $4,000 per acre, that was up until 2021 when things changed. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From the Capital Press The Port of Portland plans to increase the flow of Northwest agricultural exports and Asian consumer product imports by expanding its container terminal’s footprint. The port is investing $10.5 million to replace the pavement and stormwater drains on 10 acres adjacent to its Terminal 6 next year, which it hopes to parlay into further upgrades with ... Read More »

From the Spokesman.com By almost any conceivable measure, this summer’s lengthy and extreme drought led to historic lows in the production and quality of the region’s signature cash crop. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

Nearly half of all family farm operators and their spouses reported having a job off the farm in 2018. The majority of households, regardless of farm size, report that they work off the farm because it is more lucrative than farm work, provides more reliable income, and may offer health and retirement benefits. Households had the option to report more ... Read More »

From DTN Jason Henderson, director of Purdue University Extension and former Federal Reserve economist, is tired of talking about the 1980s. “Where we’re at in the ag business cycle, it’s not the ’80s,” he told a national meeting of agriculture lenders. “In my mind, we’re smack dab in the middle of the 1990s and the long plateau.” Read the rest ... Read More »

A nationwide economic impact study found that more than one-fifth of the nation’s economy is linked, either directly or indirectly, to the food and agriculture sectors. Further, it found that more than one-fourth of all American jobs are similarly connected. This research, available at www.FeedingTheEconomy.com, was commissioned by a group of 23 food and agriculture organizations. Among the most important findings: Total Jobs:​ ... Read More »

From DTN USDA expects U.S. farmers to plant only 85 million acres of soybean acres in 2019, down 4.7%, thanks to falling commodity prices and ballooning stocks amid a trade war with China. Corn acres are projected to take over most of those lost bean acres and rise 3.3% to 92 million acres this spring. Read more here. Read More »

From the American Farm Bureau Federation From the outlook on the overall U.S. economy to the impacts of tariffs and tax reform on farmers and ranchers, the American Farm Bureau Federation’s four economists shared their insights on a variety of topics during a workshop at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 100th Annual Convention. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »