The House and Senate will appoint conferees to the farm bill conference committee this week and begin work on a compromise final version. Based on Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates, the Senate bill would increase net direct spending over the 2019-2023 period by $1.4 billion, while the House bill would boost it by $3.2 billion. For commodity programs in Title I, the House bill would increase net spending over the five-year period by $150 million, but the Senate would decrease it by about $145 million.
The changes come from reforms in the respective bills. The House farm bill would revise how Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payments are calculated and establish new reference prices to allow an inflation adjustment over a period of high...
What You Need to Know Today: The corn and soybean markets closed slightly higher in low-volume trade. The wheat market was mixed, with HRW continuing its downward trek on improved moisture. As expected, the bearish cattle on feed report drove down cattle prices and pulled hogs down with it. Mi...
Monday, 25 May is a U.S. holiday, and both the markets and our office will be closed. Please note that the next issue of Ag Perspectives will be published on Tuesday, 26 May. The WPI staff wishes everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend...
USDA’s monthly cattle on feed report was released today. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity amounted to 11.6 million head, 102 percent of last year. Source: USDA, WPI Placements were up, but part of that is attributable to persistent drought c...