TOP AG NEWS
Doubts Emerge About Chinese Agricultural Purchases of $40-$50 Billion After Initial Deal, “How Would They Do It?”
Don Lee and Alice Su reported in Saturday’s Los Angeles Times that, “The United States and China reached a preliminary trade…
Mexico Balks at USMCA’s Labor Enforcement Provision
Mexico’s deputy foreign minister, Jesus Seade, said on Saturday he sent a letter to the top U.S. trade official expressing…
The Corn Plot Thickens
In my profession, confirmation bias is a common psychological hazard to watch out for. Confirmation bias is the tendency to…
A Year to Forget
In the small Catholic parish of my childhood, the word “saint-maker” was sometimes used to describe certain individuals who pushed…
U.S. Christmas Trees Supplies Tight, Prices Up
Customers searching for the perfect Christmas tree typically glance at Sandy Parsons’ limited offerings, then keep walking. Parsons never got…
Trump Agrees to Limited Trade Deal With China, New Tariffs on China Delayed
Lingling Wei, Bob Davis, William Mauldin and Josh Zumbrun reported in Friday’s Wall Street Journal that, “President Trump has agreed to a limited trade…
CoBank Year Ahead Report-Forces that Will Shape the U.S. Rural Economy
The U.S. rural economy will continue to face headwinds in 2020 and is expected to underperform relative to the economy…
Mapping the Market Facilitation Program
As of December 3, 2019, USDA reported $10.33 billion in Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments for 2019 (USDA, farmers.gov), with payments…
Iowa Land Values Rose 2.3% in 2019
Despite the ongoing downturn in the ag economy, Iowa farmland values rose 2.3% in 2019. The annual Iowa Land Value…
USDA to Make $550 Million in Funding Available in 2020 to Deploy High-Speed Broadband Internet Infrastructure in Rural America
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the availability of a second round of $550 million in United States…