David Ortega, Michigan
State University
Ariel Ortiz-Bobea,Cornell University
Richard Volpe, California Polytechnic State University
“Tariffs,
War, and Now a Historic Drought Have Converged into a ‘Perfect Storm’ for U.S.
Farmers and Food Prices”
By: Yahoo! Finance
– April 21, 2026
“What’s unique
about the current moment is that you have this perfect storm of factors.”
“It’s unusually dry in
various parts of the country. It’s been hitting hard in the Central Plains and
in parts of the South, all along the Cotton Belt.”
“What I think we’re
going to see is a one-two punch of higher energy prices and higher fertilizer
costs.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Yahoo! Finance
Shawn Arita, North
Dakota State University
“High
Urea Prices Likely to Linger”
By: Brownfield Ag
News Online – April 23, 2026
“Even in the most
optimistic scenario, we are still seeing $600 to $700 well through the fall
period. Through 2027 we see prices along the $500 to $600 range. It was about
$400 to $500 before the crisis.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Brownfield Ag News Online
Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester
Institute of Technology
“Can a
Participation Deficit Explain India’s Low Per Capita Income?”
By: Basis Point
Insight – April 29, 2026
“India presents a
striking development paradox: despite sustaining GDP growth of 6-7% annually
for three decades, its per capita income remains among the lowest of major
economies—approximately $2,400, compared with China’s $12,500. New research
argues that conventional explanations—population size, inequality, or sectoral
composition—are insufficient.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Basis Point Insight
Michael Langemeier, Purdue
University
Joana Colussi, Purdue University
“Rising
Costs Force Farmers to Rebuild Budgets in Real Time”
By: RFD TV
– April 24, 2026
“While overall inflation
has cooled from highs seen in recent years, the same can’t be said for input
costs. Increases in farm input costs do not always align with inflation. Worse,
farm cost increases tend to be more unpredictable and impact farmers more quickly
than consumer inflation.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: RFD TV
Kenneth Foster, Purdue
University
Bernhard Dalheimer, Purdue University
David Ortega, Michigan State University
“Why the
Iran War Might Not Raise Your Grocery Bill Until Next Year”
By: Yahoo! Finance
– April 26, 2026
“If the conflict
persists and starts to affect the prices that farmers pay for the ‘27 crop,
then you start to see real food price effects in ‘27,”
“Where could that shock
be seen first? It’s in dairy where the transportation cost share is highest,
and we need to cool the dairy all the way through.”
“Higher diesel prices —
which were down slightly this week from earlier this month, averaging about
$5.40 per gallon — are worth watching for their impacts on food prices.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Yahoo! Finance
Andrew Van Leuven, University
of Vermont
“Vermont’s
Love-Hate Relationship With Fast Food”
By: Vermont Public
– April 23, 2026
“We may overstate our
value for mom and pop, while still being huge, maybe, closeted fans of, you
know, McNuggets and Crunchwrap Supremes. I still think people do want these, we
could say, we can call them amenities, right, within a reasonable distance.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Vermont Public
David Ortega, Michigan
State University
"Demand Destruction: How the Iran War
Could Rattle or Break the US Economy"
By: CNN - April 30,
2026
“It can take the better
part of six months, (or) even longer, to feel the full impacts of this shock
reflected in food prices."
(Continued...)
Read more on: CNN
Jeffrey Dorfman, North
Carolina State University
“Can
Farmers Get Tariff Money Back? New Portal Raises Questions”
By: Farm Progress
– April 29, 2026
“Farmers will not be
applying for refunds, as that will be done by whoever directly paid the tariff
to the federal government. It is possible that some companies will issue
refunds to customers on a “pass-through basis,” but some are skeptical that
this will happen. We also may see implicit refunds to farmers through lower
prices on future purchases, as importing firms try to keep good customers happy
and loyal.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Farm Progress
Kenneth Foster, Purdue
University
“‘Drop
Like a Rock’: Trump Says Gas Prices Will Plummet When Iran War Ends, Despite
Current Climate”
By: 14 News
– April 30, 2026
“There is typically a 3-
to 6-month lag between an energy price shock and an increase in retail food
prices. The lag can be up to a year for packaged foods with a longer shelf
life.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: 14 News
Peter Orazem, Iowa
State University
Aakansha Jain, Iowa State University
“Iowa
State College Graduates Left For Bigger Cities, But They're Returning to Iowa”
By: Axios
– April 21, 2026
“The reasons behind the
returns aren't clear. One theory is that Iowans are returning to raise families
here because of cheaper housing, decent schools and proximity to relatives.”
“Rural areas aren't
seeing those returns, potentially reflecting limited job opportunities,
especially outside agriculture, and fewer services such as health care and
retirement options.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Axios
Stephen Koontz, Colorado
State University
“Grain
Markets Challenge Farmers the Rest of 2026”
By: High Plains
Journal – May 1, 2026
“The strong exports have
been very good—but world supplies of course grains are tight compared to the
United States, so if you want corn then you are coming here. The U.S. price has
been the lowest in the world. The good news is that we are on the way to export
our enormous crop.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: High Plains Journal
Hunter Biram, University
of Arkansas
“Ag, Food
Economics Are Hard to Simplify”
By: Magnolia
Reporter – May 3, 2026
“Consumers who see
parallels between crude oil and gas prices might expect the same for food, but
what seems like a straightforward relationship between prices at the farm and
prices at the grocery store is anything but simple. Making a direct connection
between the two “is extremely difficult.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Magnolia Reporter
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