Today’s Harvest Blog

National cattle policy grabbed headlines in August as the market continues to defy principles of economics: beef prices at the grocery store continue to soar while the size of the national cattle herd struggles to keep up. This blog dives into the factors driving these market conditions and the steps producers can take in response.  

For dairy farmers in the Northeast, profitability depends on factors outside their control. Milk prices fluctuate while production costs continue to rise. When milk prices fall below the cost of production, the financial pressure can be considerable and, ultimately, create the conditions that lead to dairy farm exits. 

The U.S. apple industry is moving a lot of fruit, but profitability is being squeezed by heavy supply, stubborn demand and rising costs. Farm Credit East recently hosted a webinar with Chris Gerlach of USApple for an overview of the industry. The following are key points growers should be aware of as they plan orchard decisions, labor and marketing for the season ahead. 

From national economic trends to housing demand, lumber supply and global trade shifts, many economic forces are shaping the U.S. forest products industry. In a recent Farm Credit East webinar, Paul Jannke, of Forest Economic Advisors, provided an economic forecast pointing to a year of stability, modest growth and continued adjustment across the forest products sector. The following are the key insights from the webinar.