Monday, May 18, 2026

Members in the News: May 18, 2026

 Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology

  • Bribes, Bureaucracy and the Case for a Universal Basic Income
    By: Basis Point Insight – May 12, 2026
  • Political Pulse: What Suspending the Federal Gas Tax Means
    By: ABC 13May 13, 2026
  • What is the Status of the American Dream Today?
    By: Rochester Business Journal – May 8, 2026

Benjamin Brown, University of Missouri

Wet weather creates uneven planting progress across Missouri

By: Brownfield – May 4, 2026

“We’ve seen quite a bit of field activity in the southern half of the state. My family farms in west central Missouri. I was home the weekend before last and most of the corn is planted. Not only is it planted, but it’s also six to eight inches up out of the ground at this point. Conversely, right, like you look at the northern part of the state, and it’s been much slower going.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Brownfield


Rabail Chandio, Iowa State University

Farmland Values Relatively Stable Amid Volatile World Markets

By: Illinois Farmer Today – April 18, 2026

“While the actual dollar figure increased, if adjusted for inflation, farmland values decline 1.8% in 2025. There were also regional variations. This growth was reported by six of the nine crop reporting districts in Iowa, concentrated at the eastern and western parts of the state.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Illinois Farmer Today


Alexis Villacis, The Ohio State University

The Real Reason Gummy Candy Is Everywhere (It Has Nothing to Do with Taste)

By: All Recipes – May 10, 2026

“As long as the government intervenes in this type of price setting, there's always a problem because you don't let the free markets work."

(Continued...)
Read more on: All Recipes


David Ortega, Michigan State University
William Masters, 
Tufts University

Prices For These Grocery Items Have Spiked Highest Since the War Began

By: The Washington Post – May 12, 2026

“Still, the food price shocks shouldn’t be as dramatic and widespread as those felt in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That region is a significant producer of grain.”

“But the inflation this time differs from rising prices after the pandemic. In 2022, people had saved money after saving while in the pandemic lockdown and could more easily absorb some of the demand-fueled inflation. Now, supply costs are driving the increases. Here, there’s not even the higher paychecks to cushion the blow.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: The Washington Post


David Ortega, Michigan State University
Kenneth Foster,
Purdue University
Bernhard Dalheimer,
Purdue University

Higher Gas Prices Are Seeping Into the Produce Aisle

By: The Wall Street Journal – May 10, 2026

“Fruits and vegetables tend to feel some of the earliest effects of surges in fuel prices since they often have to travel long distances in a hurry, in temperature-controlled environments. Energy, storage and transportation costs make up roughly 12% of the price of a vegetable, for example, compared with less than 8% for snacks and bakery products.”

“The pressure on the industry could increase soon. Distributors absorbed early cost rises on the assumption that the war would end quickly. Uncertainty about the length of the conflict has altered that calculus. If I’m managing a distribution supply chain, I’m looking at this conflict and thinking…this is a long-term shift in my costs.”

“Often distributors try to absorb unexpected costs, sensitive that customers react poorly to expensive food. But over the past year, companies already have absorbed the costs of various other price shocks, leaving them with less wiggle room to avoid passing costs on to retailers and consumers.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: The Wall Street Journal


David Ortega, Michigan State University

  • Fuel, munitions and food: Trump’s Iran war rips across US Economy
    By: Financial Times – May 11,2026
  • Why Have Grocery Prices Shot Up the Most in 4 years? We Explain
    By: USA Today – May 14, 2026

David Ortega, Michigan State University
Parke Wilde,
Tufts University

Tomatoes, Seafood and More: Why Are These Grocery Prices Soaring?

By: ABC News – May 13, 2026

“Perishable foods are the canary in the coal mine when we look at the impact of high diesel costs on groceries. Grocers in the U.S. import a large share of their tomatoes from Mexico, but weather-related damage in that country has slashed tomato output… The impact we’re seeing is not just driven by one factor. It’s really a combination.”

“Whenever there is disruption in energy markets, it works its way into food prices eventually. I think that’s what we’re seeing.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: ABC News


Ricky Volpe, California Polytechnic State University

  • More Beef Price Pressures Incoming, Analyst Warns
    By: Agri Pulse – May 15, 2026
  • A New Wave of Food Inflation is Building Across the Supply Chain
    By: Food Navigator - May 15, 2026

Shawn Arita, North Dakota State University

  • "In America’s Farming Heartland, Spiralling Costs Test Loyalty to Trump"
    By: Yahoo! News - May 15, 2026 
  • "Strait of Hormuz Blockade: Why the Risk of a Global Food Crisis Is Now Worrying the United Nations"
    By: Midi Libre - May 12, 2026 


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