Members in the News: February 26, 2024

Steven Deller, University of Wisconsin, Madison “Economist Says State Headed For ‘Soft Landing’ Rather Than Recession” By: Wis Business – February 19, 2024 “The state have been reluctant to let workers go as they struggle to fill positions in the post-pandemic era. This reluctance is, many economists believe, a primary factor in lower expectations of a recession in favor of the now predicted ‘soft-landing’ of the economy.” (Continued...) Read more on: Wis Business Zachariah Rutledge, Michigan State University “Where’s USDA Help? Rep. Slotkin Pushes Ag Secretary on AEWR, Labor” By: Michigan Farm News – February 16, 2024 “We Don’t Have Years, We Have Months” — MFB Members Warn Lawmakers Of Labor Crisis” By: Michigan Farm News – February 22, 2024 William Ridley, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign “Study Details Ukraine War’s Wheat Market Impact” By: World Grain – February 14, 2024 “In the weeks after the war began that prices would soar and remain relatively high for the foreseeable future. But the prices quickly retreated when it became apparent that other wheat exporters could fill the void. Since the war began 23 months ago, the price of wheat on the global market has only increased by 2%, after surging 27% higher in the opening weeks of the conflict mainly due to speculative buying.” (Continued...) Read more on: World Grain Joana Colussi, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign “Large Supplies Keep Pressure on Crop Markets” By: Farm Week Now – February 8, 2024 “El Niño Boosts South American Crop After Delay” By: Iowa Farmer Today – February 8, 2024 Benjamin Brown, University of Missouri “Midwest Farms and 2022 Ag Census” By: Progressive Farmer – February 19, 2024 “Consolidation -- big farms continued getting bigger in 2022, this means the state is losing mid-sized farms. We've been in this farm consolidation period for decades. Farmers are producing more and more goods … because fixed costs require farms to get big. Some farms are just looking to break even in 2024." (Continued...) Read more on: Progressive Farmer Serkan Aglasan, University of Arizona “How Cover Crops Mitigate Weather-Induced Agricultural Losses” By: Morning Ag Clips -  February 20, 2024 “To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to empirically investigate whether cover crops reduce extreme-weather-related production losses using long-term data over a major agricultural region in the US. In addition, this study complements existing agronomic studies that argue that cover crops improve soil properties over time (e.g., biological, chemical, and physical properties), which in turn enhance resilience to extreme weather events. (Continued...) Read more on: Morning Ag Clips Andrew Wright, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension “Profitability spreadsheet workshops for producers set in South Plains” By: Agrilife Today – February 19, 2024 “The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will host three profitability spreadsheet workshops for producers to learn how to use the tool for crop budgets. The free workshops will be held from 9 a.m.-noon at different locations in the South Plains. Participants are encouraged to bring their own computers; they are optional as all materials will be demonstrated on screen.” (Continued...) Read more on: Agrilife Today Luis Ribera, Texas A&M University “Texas Citrus Overcomes Repeated Weather Setbacks” By: Farm Progress – February 20, 2024 “This water undersupply continues today. The water deficit for the current five-year cycle that began on Oct. 25, 2020 was 673,892 acre-feet as of Dec. 9. This represents the second largest irrigation water deficit in the last three decades. The past 30-plus years have demonstrated a trend toward fewer and fewer acre-feet of irrigation water available to the Lower Rio Grande Valley area.” (Continued...) Read more on: Farm Progress Trey Malone, University of Arkansas Jackie Yenerall, University of Tennessee Andrew Muhammad, University of Tennessee “Agricultural Economists Offer Food For Thought To Improve Baby Formula Supply” By: Todays Chronic – February 23, 2024 “Years of declining birth rates, increasing maternal breastfeeding, market concentration and regulations on importing infant formula were ingredients for the crisis.” “Our article provides a discussion of the potential tradeoffs associated with making permanent changes to three policies and programs that currently influence the infant formula market: import tariffs, Food and Drug Administration regulation, and WIC.” (Continued...) Read more on: Todays Chronic Or EurekAlert! Lee Schulz, Iowa State University “Economist: 2023 'Would Go Down As The Worst Year For pork Producers Ever' in Iowa” By: WQAD8 – February 21, 2024 "From an annual standpoint, this would go down as the worst year for pork producers ever. In 2023, there was an average loss for producers of about $32 per hog. That's five dollars more in losses than the previous worst year in 1998.” (Continued...) Read more on: WQAD8