THOUGHT PIECES

The spread of COVID-19 forced the closure or curtailment of many sectors of the economy last spring and sent shockwaves through all facets of agriculture. Restaurants and other venues were shut down, and many Americans shifted their eating habits to cook-in or take-out. Agricultural supply chains were disrupted as processors scrambled to switch from foodservice… Read More »‘I’M STILL HERE’: Agriculture breathes a sigh of relief after a year of pandemic

IAN YOUNG APRIL 1, 2021 Agricultural futures and ETFs surged Wednesday, as the CME Group’s farm reacted strongly to this morning’s USDA data dump. U.S. farmers will plant lower corn and soybean acreage than the trade expected, according to the USDA. May corn futures surged 4.64%, to move 25¢ higher to $5.64½, making an explosive… Read More »Agriculture ETFs Surge Following a Surprise USDA Report

By: Skye Root, Brent Lawson, Jim Redmond & Nikki Rogers Lots of variables go into having a successful farm, but it all starts with good soil health. It is easy to look at soil and just see some dirt. However, there is a lot happening invisible to the naked eye. Imbedded in soil are dynamic… Read More »Soil Health – Three Improvement Opportunities

By Anne Marie Moss Guest columnist Anne Marie Moss is communications director at the Oregon Farm Bureau and shares insights gleaned since joining the organization in 2004.

Following up on his promise to reevaluate the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program and identify gaps in funding, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday that USDA plans to distribute additional financial assistance to those who felt the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions. USDA says the new initiative—USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers—will reach a broader set… Read More »USDA will distribute $12 billion in COVID relief

Farmers, researchers, meteorologists, and others now have access to high-resolution NASA data on soil moisture, thanks to a new tool developed by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service in collaboration with NASA and George Mason University. The tool, Crop Condition and Soil Moisture Analytics (Crop-CASMA), provides access to high-resolution data from NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive… Read More »NASA data powers new USDA Soil Moisture Portal

By Nikki Rogers, Skye Root & Brent Lawson Selling farmland for respectable prices requires effort, diligence, and target marketing. It can be easy to assume your farmland will bring top of market pricing as-is, but presentation and information are important. Having information like historical crop rotation, verifiable yield history, accurate water right information (depending on… Read More »Four Farmland Selling Tips

By Joseph Byrum In these uncertain times, tangible investments provide comfort to the risk averse. Unlike buying shares in a company enjoying a spike in publicity, or taking up more complex instruments like derivatives, land is something you can see, touch, and smell. Real holdings don’t just exist on a computer screen — they can… Read More »WHY REAL ASSETS LIKE FARMLAND ARE THE FUTURE

PLANTINGS OF CORN AND SOYBEANS WOULD BE 5% LARGER THAN LAST YEAR, CORN UP BY 1.2 MILLION ACRES, AND SOYBEANS UP BY 6.9 MILLION ACRES.

Elizabeth Weise – USA TODAY Across this central northern county, wind turbine blades slowly slice the cold air over winter-brown fields. The 67 wind turbines of the Meridian Way Wind Farm straddle dozens of farms and ranches, following the contours of the land and the eddies of the wind above it. The turbines are tall… Read More »Wind energy gives American farmers a new crop to sell in tough times