Ag Industry Trends & Outlooks

Discover insights, trends, ag market outlooks and other topical information as it relates to the Northeast's diverse agricultural industries. Brought to you by Knowledge Exchange from Farm Credit East.
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Knowledge Exchange Partner

Knowledge Exchange Partner

Farm Labor Policy in Transition: Updates on SAWA, H-2A and AEWR

This month's Knowledge Exchange Partner article explores how proposed H-2A reforms and recent wage-rate changes could affect Northeast agricultural employers, including workforce access, labor costs, program flexibility and compliance—and what these evolving policies may mean for the future of farm labor.

October 5, 2026

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Latest From Today's Harvest Blog

Apple on tree
Crop Insurance
Harvest Is Here. Could Variety-Specific Coverage Better Protect Your Apple Crop?

Apple harvest is underway across New York, and growers are assessing yields, fruit quality, storage and marketing opportunities. It is also time to plan for next season. Beginning with the 2027 crop year, New York apple producers will gain a significant new risk management option: variety-specific crop insurance coverage. This improved option may allow growers to better align coverage with the varieties planted in their orchards.

October 26, 2026

Featured Webinar

Ripe juicy red apples in a container. Production facilities of large warehouse - grading, packing and storage of crops.
Business Tips and Tools
Apple Industry Outlook Webinar
Join Farm Credit East and Horizon Farm Credit as they host Chris Gerlach of USApple for a discussion on the prevailing trends and forces shaping the U.S. apple industry.

April 15, 2027

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Knowledge Exchange Partner
Farm Credit East Champions Tax Credits for Connecticut Farmers

Cooperative teamwork played a key role in Connecticut’s budget success, delivering meaningful gains for Northeast agriculture. Farm Credit East members and leaders championed the investment tax credit (ITC). This month’s Knowledge Exchange Partner article highlights new tax credits for Connecticut farmers and similar opportunities in New York and Maine.


July 10, 2025

Milk bottles on the supermarket shelf
Knowledge Exchange Partner
Dairy Markets Show Both Upside and Concern

This month's Knowledge Exchange Partner article contributors Corey A. Geiger and Abbigail C. Prins of CoBank, outline a mixed outlook for U.S. dairy in 2025, noting strong retail sales and export potential but weak restaurant demand and rising costs. They highlight a historic drop in cow culling, surging butterfat production, and global herd challenges, suggesting cautious optimism for the industry’s future.

June 09, 2025

Rear view of a farm working driving a tractor pulling a plow, tilling a field of soil with a small cloud of dust. Green trees in the background on a sunny day with some clouds in the sky.
Knowledge Exchange Partner
Farm Credit East Knowledge Exchange Industry Snapshots

This month's Knowledge Exchange Partner highlights a series of Industry Snapshots, compiled by Farm Credit East's Director of Knowledge Exchange, Chris Laughton. In addition to a summary of the national economy, northeast farm economy sectors such as dairy, timber and forest products, cash field crops, livestock, fruit, vegetables, greenhouse and fishing are included.

April 29, 2025

A display of red ripe Macoun apples - a sweet crisp eating apple from the Hudson Valley of New York State.
Knowledge Exchange Partner
2025 Apple Industry Outlook: Headwinds Persist in the U.S.

This month's Knowledge Exchange Partner article contributed by Chris Gerlach, of USApple reviews 2024 industry data and discusses 2025 pricing projections and changes to the export markets. It also explores potential direct and indirect impacts of tariffs.

April 01, 2025

Northeast Economic Engine

Download Farm Credit East’s Northeast Economic Engine report, which analyzes the economic impact of the Northeast agriculture, forest products, commercial fishing and food manufacturing industries. This report was released in October 2024. 

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Cover of the 2024 Economic Impact report