Posts By: Betsy Urso

3 Key Finance Lessons from a Veteran Ag Banker Farm Journal’s AgPro By: Sara Schafer At the 2020 Top Producer Summit, Curt Covington will explain how and why it’s time to think differently about your farm operation. (Sara Schafer) “Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget,” says Curt Covington, executive vice president… Read more »

Ag Lender Survey Shows Lower Profitability and Higher Concerns DRGNews.com By: Jody Heemstra The American Bankers Association teamed up with Farmer Mac for their Fall 2019 Ag Lender Survey. The biggest takeaway from the report is that the agricultural economy and farm income remain under stress, with little if any signs of improvement ahead in… Read more »

Ag lenders rank farm liquidity as top concern for 2019 FarmWeekNow.com Agricultural lenders view liquidity as the top concern this year, according to a recent survey conducted by the American Bankers Association (ABA) and Farmer Mac. They also predict the number of farm bankruptcies could continue to edge higher into 2020, although nowhere near the… Read more »

ABA Chief Economist Sees Reason for Optimism Amid Challenges in Ag Sector ABA Banking Journal While the agricultural sector continues to face numerous challenges, “there’s a lot of optimism” among ag lenders looking ahead to the next 12 months, ABA Chief Economist James Chessen said in an interview today with RFD-TV’s “Market Day Report” program…. Read more »

Farmer Mac Economist Says Severity of Farm Bankruptcies Is Overstated GrowingGeorgia By: BrownField AgNews Chapter 12 bankruptcies are on the increase. But an ag economist says that statistic needs to be put into perspective. “Although the percentages sound alarming-you hear numbers like a 25 percent increase-they’re still very small,” says Jackson Takach, chief economist for… Read more »

Ag Lender Survey: Farmer Liquidity, Income, Trade Top 2020 Issues Indiana Ag Connection By: USAgNet As the farm economy continues to work through a prolonged downturn, credit quality and the deterioration of agricultural loans remains the top concern for ag lenders, according to the Fall 2019 Agricultural Lender Survey report produced jointly by the American… Read more »

Move Over Cereal; Coffee is Milk’s New Best Friend Dairy Herd Management By: Tyne Morgan The dairy industry is going through major transformation, not just with technology, but how shoppers want to consume milk and why. Statistics show a drop in cereal consumption could be hurting milk demand. ( Pexels ) As dairy producers try… Read more »

U.S. farmers to leverage land as farm economy deteriorates: survey The Mighty 790 KFGO – KFGO By: P.J. Huffstutter DALLAS (Reuters) – As the U.S.-China trade war drags on, more farmers are expected to take out debt against the land they own – their collateral of last resort – to keep their operations going, according… Read more »

Washington Insider — Wednesday: Unhappiness Over Trade Bailout Program Progressive Farmer By: DTN’s Washington Insider Here’s a quick monitor of Washington farm and trade policy issues from DTN’s well-placed observer. Ag Bankers Concerned About Credit Quality In Midst Of Farm Downturn Even as 57 percent of farmer borrowers were profitable in 2019, up six percentage… Read more »