Bruce Blythe

1 month ago | farmprogress.com | Bruce Blythe |Pam Caraway

“Some producers are going to go out of business.”David Kohl, the venerable economist known across the agricultural industry, repeated that message over and over during meeting season between 2024 harvest and 2025 planting. Whether he was speaking to farmers or bankers, the message was the same: If you’re a farmer, figure out how not to be one of those businesses. If you’re a banker, do what you can to guide your client through this time.

1 month ago | farmprogress.com | Pam Caraway |Bruce Blythe |Ben Potter

Consumers may simply see a 4% increase in the cost of a Memorial Day BBQ, but farmers who look at the agricultural economics behind those numbers can find hot opportunities and cold financial realities. The cumulative result is the cost of an all-American BBQ is up from $73 in 2018 to $103 this year. And that’s without including a deviled egg on the plate.

1 month ago | farmprogress.com | Ben Potter |Bruce Blythe

While U.S. farmland loses acreage every year for various reasons — from subdivision to renewable energy projects — Brazil’s row crop footprint keeps growing as it gobbles up pastureland.  In fact, between the 2015-16 and 2024-25 seasons, soybean acres in Brazil ballooned from 82 million to 117 million, according to Joana Colussi, a University of Illinois ag economist. And the country still has capacity for noticeable growth.

1 month ago | farmprogress.com | Bruce Blythe |Ben Potter

Corn and soybean futures extended overnight rallies after USDA, in its Supply and Demand report for May, forecast lower than expected U.S. stockpiles at the end of the 2025-26 marketing year. Wheat futures remained under pressure after USDA predicted a sharp jump in next year’s supplies. About 1.8 billion bushels of corn are expected to be on hand at the end of the 2025-26 crop, USDA said in the report, which included the agency’s initial estimates for the upcoming marketing year.

2 months ago | farmprogress.com | Bruce Blythe |Ben Potter

Soybeans also rally, though supply and demand brings mixed bag. Corn futures briefly extended a recent rally to six-week highs after USDA’s monthly supply and demand update showed a larger-than-expected cut to U.S. stockpiles later this year. Soybean futures also gained after USDA lowered U.S. ending stocks.