Proposed changes to farm estate taxes are a sign of the strong feelings that exist for changes to the current tax code, but some schemes could have significant effects to family farms, according to a white paper published by the Illinois Farmdocdaily. Economists Krista Swanson, Gary Schnitkey and Nick Paulson from the Department of Agricultural … Read More
Survey: Farmer Outlooks More Positive In March
The monthly Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose 12 points in March to a reading of 177, marking the highest reading for the barometer since October 2020, Purdue University agricultural economist, said in a release. The Ag Economy Barometer is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey. This … Read More
NCBA Plan To Study Cattle Price Discovery Moving Forward
Last year, several pieces of legislation were introduced in Congress whose principal aim was to increase the level of negotiated cash cattle trade, said Assistant Professor & Livestock Extension Economist for the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in a letter to Extension agents through the Livestock Marketing Information Center. The … Read More
Funds Reverse, Get Longer Cattle
Large commodity investment funds reversed their investment strategies in live cattle futures during the week ended Tuesday and took on a net longer position than the week before when it declined. At the same time, hedgers took the opposite tack and increased their collective net short position. The data came from the Commodity Futures Trading … Read More
Prospective Plantings Report Boosts Grain, Soybeans
Corn markets got a boost Wednesday from the USDA’s Prospective Plantings report, which foretold of tightening stocks for old and new crop. Soybeans also got a boost from the report as it predicted lower-than-expected planted acreage. Contracts for delivery months through this year and into 2022 settled locked limit up in corn and soybeans. Market … Read More
Feeding Margins Jump With Last Week’s Price Gains
Cattle feeding margins jumped back into the black last week as prices for choice fed steers moved an average of $1.53 per cwt on a live basis higher than the previous week, according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker published by the Farm Journal. Packer margins last week also rose as prices for boxed beef … Read More
US Hog Industry Shrinks: USDA
The US inventory of all hogs and pigs on March 1, with numbers of all major categories lower than a year ago and the previous quarter, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service in its Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report. The breeding herd was down about 3% from last year and about 1% from … Read More