Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology “Climate Policy Needs Carbon Pricing, Not Just Green Subsidies” By: Basis Point Insight - July 20, 2026 “Fighting climate change is difficult because it is a global problem that requires coordinated action across countries, industries, and individuals with differing interests and priorities. The benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions are often long-term and widely shared, while the costs of mitigation are immediate and concentrated on specific sectors and communities.” (Continued...) Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, Cornell University “Heat Stress Hits Dairy Quality as Well as Quantity, Study Finds” By: Sentient Media – July 20, 2026 “This matters to the dairy industry because farmers get paid not by the overall weight or volume, but are instead priced using a formula that takes those nutritional components into account. As climate change increases the intensity and duration of heat events, industrial dairies with more capital tend to be better equipped to handle the added strain on their margins.” (Continued...) Simon Somogyi, Texas A&M University “Expect Stable Meat Prices This Summer” By: National Hog Farmer – July 21, 2026 “Now with New World screwworm, that’s going to cause issues that we haven’t seen yet. We could see higher prices without those historically steady imports from Mexico.” (Continued...) Brian Roe, The Ohio State University “Weight Loss Drugs Are Leading to Less Spending at Ohio Restaurants, OSU Study Finds” By: WOSU – July 23, 2026 “We found that consumers, once they started the medication, were cutting back in terms of their dine-out experience. We found, for example, about $37 less spending per week on dining out among current users of the drugs than those who were former users of the drug. And most of them said that their spending went down by more than 10% after they started their medication.” (Continued...) Taejun Mo, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign “Self-Driving Trucks Could Upend America’s Freight Economy” By: Earth.com – July 23, 2026 “Self-driving technology has great potential to rewrite the economic geography of the U.S., which in and of itself will create new winners and losers… If a certain geographic area were a major transportation hub in the days before autonomous trucking, it’s possible that it would not be a major hub in the future.” (Continued...) Becca Weir, Pennsylvania State University “Financial Health of American Farms Strained' By Many Factors” By: Allied News – June 23, 2026 "It's challenging to make high-level generalizations about the farm economy because each region and agricultural sector faces different challenges. Our current market conditions could change quickly with adverse weather during the remaining crop production season or an intensified livestock disease outbreak. At the moment, the overall financial health of American farms is strained." “The biggest risks often come from weather or climate patterns. We look at the last 100 years; margin and profitability have always been central in farmers' minds, and part of that has to do with weather, especially in crop production and indirectly, livestock production.” (Continued...)
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Monday, July 27, 2026
Members in the News: July 27, 2026
Monday, July 20, 2026
Members in the News: July 20, 2026
Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology
“The Hidden Cost: Why Carbon Taxes Are Unpopular”
By: Basis Point Insight – July 14, 2026
“Economists generally favour carbon taxes because they are a relatively efficient way to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By putting a price on carbon, a carbon tax forces firms and consumers to account for the environmental damages associated with fossil fuel use. In theory, this leads to lower emissions at the lowest overall cost to society.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Basis Point Insight
Richard Volpe, California Polytechnic State University
“Traditional Supermarkets Are Struggling. Kroger Hopes its Giant Eagle Merger Will Help”
By: Marketplace – July 16, 2026
”That's a format that has been losing ground for quite some time in the food retail landscape in the U.S., and at a pretty dramatic rate.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Marketplace
Carl Zulauf, The Ohio
State University
Henrique Monaco, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Gary Schnitkey, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
“Minding Ag's Business Blog”
By: Progressive Farmer DNT – July 14, 2026
“Market losses are more common than market profits in the U.S. field-crop sector… In stretches when farmers were profitable, the safety net increased cumulative returns by 70% in the period from 2007-2013 and 41% in 2021 and 2022. The authors argue this represents a fundamental shift in the role of the safety net, which they describe as "supercharging profits" rather than simply protecting against losses.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Progressive Farmer DNT
Elizabeth Canales Medina, Mississippi State University
“A Perfect Storm of Factors is Driving Up US Produce Prices, But Shoppers Can Still Save”
By: The Conversation – July 16, 2026
“From tomatoes and berries to lettuce and peppers, shoppers are feeling sticker shock in the produce aisle. Recent headlines have focused in particular on soaring tomato prices. They spiked by roughly one-fifth from June 2025 to June 2026, according to consumer price data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: The Conversation
David Ortega, Michigan State University
“Could the Cyclospora Outbreak Affect Grocery Prices?”
By: News Nation – July 17, 2026
“A drop in demand for fresh produce, for example, could lead to localized price declines or discounts for specific products. Because these goods are highly perishable, even modest demand shifts can move prices quickly.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: News Nation
Jaime Luke, Michigan State University
“A Labor Lockout in Rural Colorado Has a Town Asking: How Do We Survive?”
By: The Denver Post – July 19, 2026
“Things like this can cause regional issues, such as producers seeing increased costs and headaches, but for the industry as a whole, it’s not an end-of-the-world scenario,”
(Continued...)
Read more on: The Denver Post
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Monday, July 13, 2026
Members in the News: July 13, 2026
Zachariah Rutledge, Michigan State University
“Economists on the Labor Trends That Will Define the Future of U.S. Fresh Produce”
By: The Packer – July 6, 2026
“Based on USDA data, the average operating cost for labor is about 38% for fruit and 29% for vegetables.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: The Packer
Alejandro Gutierrez-Li, North Carolina State University
“TPS Decision Could Reshape Ag Labor Market”
By: Politico – June 29, 2026
“The Supreme Court ruling is likely to further stress the labor supply at meatpacking plants across the country. Meatpackers can’t easily access the H-2A visa program for year-round work like meatpacking. “Research has shown that, even in periods of high unemployment, Americans prefer to pass on physically demanding jobs at meatpacking plants.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Politico
David Ortega, Michigan State University
“Did Walmart Roll Back Prices Because of Trump? They Won’t Say”
By: USA Today – July 8, 2026
“The Walmart price reductions looks less like a turning point on food inflation and more like an aggressive summer promotion. Big retailers spotlight 'backyard barbecue' staples like meat, corn, soda, chips because they're highly visible and shape how shoppers feel about prices in general."
(Continued...)
Read more on: USA Today
Shawn Arita, North
Dakota State University
Sandro Steinbach, North Dakota State University
- “Kansas
Farmers Suffer From Tariffs and Closing of Strait of Hormuz, Ag Experts
Say”
By: Yahoo! Finance – July 7, 2026 - “The Meat
Industry’s Tireless Effort to Keep Live Pigs in Coffins”
By: The American Prospect – July 7, 2026
Natalie Loduca, University
of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Scott Swinton, Michigan State University
“How Farmers Respond to Climate-Related Risk”
Bu: Agrinews – July 5, 2026
“Crop yields depend not only on weather conditions, but also on the producer’s management decisions. We wanted to better understand how farmers perceive uncertainty under changing climate conditions.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Agrinews
Christopher Barrett, Cornell University
“Fertilizer Shortage Raises Concerns Across Global Agriculture”
By: Farms.com – July 6, 2026
“Despite these challenges, experts believe consumers are unlikely to experience major increases in food prices. Consumers are going to see higher food prices come September to January, once harvests start coming in, and the few months thereafter. Very little of that is going to be directly attributable to fertilizer."
(Continued...)
Read more on: Farms.com
Bradley Rickard, Cornell University
“A California Farmer Is Giving Away Tons of Nectarines That He's Not Allowed to Sell”
By: Food Manufacturing – July 7, 2026
“Fruit patents are becoming increasingly common. A patent allows a breeder to collect a royalty from the fruit trees it sells, the fruit that the trees produce, or both.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Food Manufacturing
Amelia Finaret, Allegheny College
“5 Grocery Items That Will Cost More This Summer”
By: AARP – July 7, 2026
“Whole wheat bread prices are up 8 percent over last year. Drought conditions in wheat-growing regions of the U.S. have strained supply to the point where America’s wheat production is at its lowest since 1970.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: AARP
Jeffrey Dorfman, North
Carolina State University
Ricky Volpe, California Polytechnic State University
“U.S.-Iran Conflict Puts Food Prices at Growing Risk”
By: Kansas City Star – July 10, 2026
Fossil fuels used in farming and distribution account for between 15% and 30% of the cost of produce at the retail level.”
“An FMI-The Food Industry Association briefing that even an immediate resolution to the conflict would not prevent grocery inflation from climbing well above the historical average for the remainder of 2026.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Kansas City Star
'Members in the News' now!
Monday, July 6, 2026
Members in the News: July 6, 2026
Zachariah Rutledge, Michigan
State University
David Ortega, Michigan State University
“Dairy Farm Labor Shortages, Adaptation Strategies and Preferences for Workforce Policy Options”
By: Farms.com – June 30, 2026
“Labor shortages are increasingly prevalent in the agricultural sector. Dairy farms face a unique challenge because production requires a year-round workforce, yet most current American visa programs are primarily designed for producers with seasonal employment needs.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Farms.com
Shawn Arita, North
Dakota State University
Ming Wang, North Dakota State University
Joseph Glauber, International Food Policy Research Institute
“How Fertilizer Policies Could Exacerbate Hormuz Price Shocks”
By: Global Agriculture – May 26, 2026
“The closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the outbreak of the Iran war on February 28, 2026, put roughly one-third of global seaborne fertilizer trade at risk. Suddenly, production across the broader Persian Gulf region had no clear ocean exit.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Global Agriculture
Shawn Arita, North
Dakota State University
Nick Paulson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
“Land Line: Riverview, Lobe Rangers, Fertilizer & War, Climate’s Double Indemnity, Colin Cureton’s Ag Legacy, Grazing & Birds, Roundup’s SCOTUS Support, Farm Bill”
By: Land Stewardship Project – June 26, 2026
“A full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz will eventually cause fertilizer prices to fall, but they will remain above their prewar levels for years to come”
“Actions the Trump administration is considering, such as not renewing a trade deal with Canada, would drastically reduce the supply of some fertilizers.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Land Stewardship Project
Joana Colussi, Purdue University
“‘A Real Farm Crisis’: Illinois Farm Bankruptcies Rise For 3rd Straight Year”
By: WJBC – June 29, 2026
“Overhead costs represent the largest cost component on the U.S. farm, accounting for nearly one-half of total costs during the 2020-24 period. Eighty percent of the farmers in the Midwest, they rent the land.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: WJBC
Tim Delbridge, Oregon State University
“OSU Ag Economist: Early Season Cherry Prices Concerning”
By: Capital Press – June 29, 2026
“The pricing picture for sweet cherries is concerning at this point in the season. We may see prices come back up at the end of the season.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Capital Press
Bradley Lubben, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
“USDA Forecast Shows Rising Costs For Corn, Soybeans, Sorghum and Wheat”
By: Brownfield Ag News – June 29, 2026
“Inflation has been the biggest factor since the COVID-19 pandemic. We have continued to be at the higher levels along with trade and global security shocks that have amped up certain markets. Right now, we’re just dealing with higher production costs.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Brownfield Ag News
Hunter Biram, University of Arkansas
“U.S. Rice Acreage Falls to Lowest Since the 1970s As Cotton Acres Increase”
By: Brownfield Ag News – June 30, 2026
“I’ve had people ask me questions about the sustainability in the long term viability of the rice industry… The ripple effects of the rice production declines are being felt in Arkansas, the largest rice producing state in the country.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Brownfield Ag News
Andrew Muhammad, University of Tennessee
“China Resumes US Soybean Purchases Under Trade Deal With Trump, But Future For Farmers Remains ‘Daunting’”
By: Europe Says – July 3, 2026
“Exports to China from January through March were up 57% compared to last year, USDA data shows. That’s explained by an increase in sales to China during the off-season in response to the trade agreement… But if we look at the accumulated total for the actual marketing year, going back to September, exports to China are still lagging what we did in years past.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Europe Says
Christopher Barrett, Cornell University
“How a Fertilizer Shortage Caused by the Iran War Could Affect U.S. Food Prices”
By: NPR – July 3, 2026
"Consumers are going to see higher food prices come September to January, once harvests start coming in, and the few months thereafter. Very little of that is going to be directly attributable to fertilizer."
(Continued...)
Read more on: NPR
Jaime Luke, Michigan State University
“Why Beef Prices Keep Climbing”
By: Marketplace – June 22, 2026
“The USDA predicts beef prices will go up another 10% in 2026 — much faster than the rate of inflation. High demand and low supply makes for a perfect storm. Right now we have a historically low number of beef cows in the country.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Marketplace
Bingyan Dai, Cornell University
“East Coast Broccoli Lowers Costs and Risks From California Drought”
By: Morning Ag Clips – July 1, 2026
“We do think our model can be generalized to other crops, which face similar issues and increasing challenges from drought and water scarcity when production is concentrated in one state… Demand for fresh fruits and vegetables, and especially broccoli, most of which is grown in California, has been growing nationally while water scarcity in the West has also increased.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Morning Ag Clips
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