Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology
“India’s Farm Productivity Puzzle Lies in Distorted Land Markets”
By: Basis Point Insight – April 8, 2026
“It is now well known that agricultural productivity in India is very low. Despite overall economic progress, agricultural productivity in India remains extremely low compared to developed countries, with output per worker only a small fraction of that in the United States.”
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Read more on: Basis Point Insight
William Burke, Michigan State University
“Rising Oil Prices Threaten Global Food Security”
By: KTVU – April 6, 2026
“Global food costs keep climbing, and farmers are feeling the squeeze. The U.N.’s FAO reports another jump in prices, while the U.S. exports phosphate fertilizers even as domestic shortages hit spring planting. William Burke, an agricultural economist, at The University of Maryland Eastern Shore, gives insight.”
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Read more on: KTVU
Andrew Muhammad, University of Tennessee
- “Why Is
95 Percent of the World’s Bourbon Made in Kentucky?”
By: Freakonomics – April 3, 2026 - “U.S.
Farmers Face ‘New Era of Trade Deficits’ as Global Markets Shift”
By: Farm Progress – April 2, 2026
Seungki Lee, The Ohio State University
“The Iran War is Changing How Millions of People Cook — And What They Eat”
By: Grist – April 6, 2026
“Because of the economic strain created by the conflict, nation-level progress toward the U.N.’s sustainable development targets, for example, are more likely to see at least a short-term regression on the aim to transition billions of households away from using coal, kerosene, or solid biomass as primary cooking fuels.”
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Read more on:Grist
Charles Martinez, University of Tennessee
“Should Market Data Add a Beef x Dairy Category?”
By: Feedstuffs – February 24, 2026
“Beef on dairy has always been available as a backup strategy for dairy producers to maintain operations during slumps of dairy prices. But the current landscape has producers using artificial insemination to make genetic-based decisions for dairy production while also intentionally using semen from beef bulls to produce calves to market as beef.”
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Read more on: Feedstuffs
Cesar Escalante, University of Georgia
“Expanding H-2A Farmworker Program Could Increase Health, Safety Risks”
By: PNS – April 8, 2026
“Native-born workers will only work for one day or half a day, and then they quit… They cannot tolerate the working conditions.”
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Read more on: PNS
David Ortega, Michigan State University
“Grocery Prices Rise, But These Staples Are Getting Cheaper”
By: USA Today - April 8, 2026
“There have been several "shocks" that have affected the agricultural and food industry, such as bird flu devastating the egg markets, climate-driven droughts hammering coffee and fresh produce production and tariffs layering additional costs onto import-heavy categories. These shocks hit products in different ways, which is why you get such a mixed picture when you look item by item. But the net result is that families are still paying more at the register."
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Read more on: USA Today
Christopher Wolf, Cornell University
“‘The Good Old Days Are Gone’: How Will US Prices Stand As War in Iran Surges On?”
By: The Guardian – April 4, 2026
“Along with oil prices, diesel and fertilizer prices are also rising, which are critical to farming. That makes both the cost of growing crops and raising livestock more expensive.”
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Read more on:The Guardian
Jeffrey Dorfman, North Carolina State University
“Diesel and Fertilizer Cost Spikes Put Squeeze on NC Corn Farmers”
By: Carolina Public Press – April 6, 2026
“Higher oil and fertilizer prices may encourage farmers to shift some acres away from corn. Soybeans, which require less fertilizer and are more forgiving when it comes to drought, are a logical replacement. In general, these higher prices mean a 3-5 percent increase in production costs for most crops, which is very unwelcome after production costs have already risen about 65 percent in the last five years.”
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Read more on: Carolina Public Press
Joshua Maples, Mississippi State University
“Rising Fuel And Fertilizer Costs Are Hitting U.S. Producers Differently, With Smaller Operations Feeling the Squeeze”
By: Brownfield – April 9, 2026
“Larger producers likely purchased fuel and fertilizer at the end of 2025. However, I would say a lot of smaller producers don’t do that. And so this is a spot here where we may see a bit of differences between size of operation and the relative impact it has on their operation.”
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Read more on: Brownfield
Richard Volpe, California Polytechnical State University
"Why Tomato Prices Are Rising and Driving Grocery Inflation"
By: Axios - April 10, 2026
"The U.S. imports a large share of its tomatoes, and tariffs are being passed through fairly cleanly. There are few players in the supply chain with the capacity to absorb losses. While prices typically rise this time of year, the current spike is larger than usual."
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Read more on: Axios
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