Ag Industry Trends & Outlooks

This month's Knowledge Exchange Partner article discuss the current fertilizer market challenges, and the continued geopolitical instability and supply chain disruptions that are creating long-term pressure on fertilizer availability and pricing, creating future sourcing uncertainties for farmers and agricultural retailers. Contributed by Jacqui Fatka, Lead Economist, Farm Supply and Biofuels, at CoBank.

In response to the variety of significant economic challenges facing dairy producers in the northeast, Massachusetts, Maine and Connecticut each administers a unique, local dairy price support program. In this report, Farm Credit East provides an overview of each program and summarizes their key differences and similarities. While all programs respond to similar objectives and have been proven to slow the rate of dairy farm exits in their respective states, the programs differ substantially in funding and design. This report seeks to build a greater understanding of how each program works to support the region’s dairy communities and rural economies.

Rising tensions in the Middle East are pushing fuel and fertilizer costs higher, creating fresh uncertainty for farmers and agribusinesses. This month's Knowledge Exchange Partner discusses how global supply disruptions, delayed shipping recovery and tighter input supplies could affect prices, margins, cash flow and planning decisions through 2026 and beyond.

After a rapid rise in 2021 and 2022, the Farm Credit East Production Cost Index has plateaued after relatively modest increases over the previous decade.  This index tracks farm production costs on a relative basis, weighted towards costs that affect Northeast producers most. Major components of the index include labor, energy, family living expenses, crop inputs, as well as costs like animal feed and other dairy-related expenses, given that sector’s prominence in our region.