After a last-minute relief effort last session, help is on the way for farmers and ranchers. The exact date is still up in the air, but cotton growers say it cannot come soon enough.
“We’re essentially looking at a March 21st time frame that we would anticipate this money getting out into the countryside. I know that’s been a question from a lot of producers that I have visited with over the last couple of weeks as well as gin managers so that they have a better idea of what to tell their bankers as they go in and prepare for this 2025 season and go in requesting their operating loans,” said Mark Brown.
Since the 2018 Farm Bill, cotton growers have seen their production costs go up by nearly 30 percent. Analysts say this year’s input costs likely will not provide much support.
ASFMRA’s Shawn Wood joins us to discuss farmland market trends, drought and water concerns, and the outlook for Arizona agricultural real estate.
Ag tech company Pairwise says genome editing tools are opening new doors for growers and expanding access to fruits and vegetables year-round.
Dr. Gary Schnitkey from the University of Illinois discusses farmers’ sentiment toward industry consolidation, especially in the fertilizer sector, where costs remain historically high.
USDA says total grain inspected for export reached 2.81 million metric tons for the week ending June 11.
Experts note that economic growth, fuel demand, and energy diversification are opening new opportunities for U.S. grain and ethanol exports in Southeast Asia.
The USDA’s new cotton initiative comes as policymakers continue to focus on stabilizing farm income across major row crops while balancing export exposure with domestic supply chain resilience.
