Key Takeaways:
Diesel accounts for about 64 percent of U.S. farm fuel spending. For farmers, the pressing question is what a higher price adds to each field operation. Iowa farm diesel averaged $5.50/gallon in September, compared with the $2.89/gallon Iowa State assumed for its February machinery-cost survey. On the article’s illustrative 1,000-acre corn–soybean farm, the specified field operations use about 2,485 gallons. At $5.50 a gallon, their fuel bill is roughly $6,500 higher than at $2.89. This is an illustrative calculation using Iowa State’s gallons-per-acre estimates. A temporary diesel export embargo has supporters, but its effects remain contested. S&P Global’s models suggest that a complete ban woul...
What You Need to Know Today: Corn and soybean futures were lower to open the week, with funds still in control and in a selling mood. The upcoming WASDE report on Tuesday is also likely to feature larger corn and soybean stocks, which helped put grain futures on the defensive. Wheat futures we...
Key Takeaways: Currency exchange rates influence agricultural export competitiveness and producer profitability, even when underlying commodity prices remain unchanged. A weaker domestic currency allows agricultural exporters to receive more local currency for dollar-denominated sales, potenti...
Although inflation has remained elevated since the post-COVID surge, it steadily moderated until the past year. More to the point, today’s inflation looks very different from 2022, when the Consumer Price Index (CPI) peaked at 9 percent. During and after the pandemic, the M2 money supply...
