Japan has a well-developed food retail market that demands high-quality, high-value agricultural and food products, said the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, in a trade report, and its reopening after COVID shutdowns signals US export opportunities. Despite reduced economic activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, trade data show agricultural imports have remained resilient, the FAS said.  As … Read More

Many rural communities need more diverse economies to support their agricultural activities, wrote Mark White, agriculture and consumer economist at the University of Illinois.  His report was published by the Illinois Farmdocdaily. A recent report—sponsored by CoBank—showed that 82% of farm household income came from off-farm sources, White said, 56% from the principal farm operators … Read More

Sales of fed steers to beef packers by Kansas feedlots in December were up from November, following a seasonal trend, and ended at a point between last year’s sales and those of the previous five-year average. The data came from a monthly survey of specific Kansas feed yards by the Kansas State University Extension service.  … Read More

US beef exports set annual records for volume and value in 2022, according to year-end data released by the USDA and compiled by the US Meat Export Federation. Pork exports finished lower year-over-year, but the value was the third largest on record, trailing only the highs reached in 2020 and 2021, the USMEF said in … Read More

Wednesday, the USDA’s monthly 2023 beef production forecast was raised from last month in its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report Wednesday. The USDA also adjusted its 2022 red meat and poultry supply and use estimates to reflect reported December production, ending stock and trade data.   BEEF PRODUCTION ESTIMATES DECLINE   The latest … Read More

Following a sharp increase in farmer sentiment to close out 2022, the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer had only a modest increase in January, up 4 points to a reading of 130, said Purdue University Agricultural Economist James Mintert, in a release. The Ag Economy Barometer is calculated each month from 400 US agricultural … Read More

Female cattle slaughter remains elevated despite the passing of the new year, and indicates cattle herd liquidation didn’t stop with the fall weanings but continues into 2023, according to USDA slaughter data compiled by the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver. Most of that extra female slaughter is comprised of heifers and dairy cows, but … Read More