Business
Farm debt is climbing to record levels at ag banks, reflecting pressure on crop producers’ finances even as livestock and land values lend stability to the sector.
“At the end of the day, it’s the people on the farm that are farming land... They’re the ones that will be incurring these costs.”
“Last year, looking across all the critical sectors, about 5.5% of every ransomware attack that we saw impacted the food and agriculture sector.”
Markets
Seasonal boxed beef softness does not change the tight-supply outlook — leverage remains closer to the farm gate heading into 2026.
Trade uncertainty—especially regarding soybeans—continues to weigh on future outlooks, even as farm finances and land values remain resilient.
Strong export demand supports feed grain prices, but drought risk and seasonal patterns favor disciplined early-year marketing.
Trade
Pressure on grain storage capacity and stronger export positioning are pushing more grain onto railroads, highways, and river systems as logistics become a key bottleneck this fall.
The Cotton-4 are pushing hard for new value chain investments. Still, many U.S. cotton producers face unsustainable losses, and weakened regional textile capacity threatens the survival of the Carolina “dirt-to-shirt” supply chain.