Posts By: Betsy Urso

AgWeb Powered by Farm Journal Analyst: The Economy is Going Over The Speed Limit By Ashley Davenport For the second time this year, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate one quarter point, citing solid U.S. economic growth and rising inflation. According to the Fed, economic growth has been “rising at a solid rate,”… Read more »

Farm Journal’s Ag Pro Cotton Making Strong Strides By: AgWeb Editors Contrasted alongside anemic crop commodity prices, cotton was once viewed as merely the best pig in the pen. No more. Significant profitability and growing demand are pushing white fiber across increasing acres. Since cotton acres scraped low in 2015, the Cotton Belt’s white blanket… Read more »

BankBeat Secondary market helps ag lenders improve liquidity By: NFR Editorial Staff Editor’s Note: Curt Covington is executive vice president of agricultural finance at Farmer Mac. We recently asked Covington to update readers on how Farmer Mac’s secondary market products can augment a community bank’s rural finance initiatives. Q: What tools does Farmer Mac offer… Read more »

Farmer Mac Early Exclusive: Bankruptcy Rates Really Haven’t Budged AgWeb Powered by Farm Journal By: Tyne Morgan Rising farm debt is a product of agriculture’s financial environment today. According the summer edition of Farmer Mac’s “The Feed,” U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows total inflation-adjusted farm debt increased nearly 19 percent in four years. Debt… Read more »

Farmer Mac: Forecast Models Didn’t Show Farmers’ Resilience, Fortitude AgWeb Powered by Farm Journal By: Tyne Morgan Farming and ranching today can sometimes seem like a game of survival. Commodity prices have fallen sharply since 2012, while input prices remain fairly strong. However, Farmer Mac points to the resiliency and fortitude of American farmers as… Read more »

AgWeb Powered by Farm Journal Should You Worry About Rising Interest Rates? By: Anna-Lisa Laca Recent data suggests the U.S. economy is likely to continue strengthening in 2018 and 2019 which could lead to in interest rates increasing quickly, a hurdle for farmers operating lines of credit. The Federal Reserve has been open about their… Read more »

Dairy Herd Management Three Things We’ve Learned From Low Milk Prices By: Mike Opperman Through any adversity comes learning. Without learning through adversity, we would never adapt and continue on with our lives and business. The past few months have been a PhD-level course in managing through adversity. Low milk prices, rising labor costs, increased… Read more »

Farm Journal’s Milk Early Exclusive: The Death Of The Mid-Sized Dairy By: Anna-Lisa Laca Despite improving milk prices, dairy producers across the country continue to struggle. While large farms remain efficient and profitable and small boutique style farms continue to thrive, it’s farms caught in the middle that will likely go out of business, says… Read more »