Other policy shifts are likely to impact ag exports. One economist warns products could start to build up and says government programs only go so far.
“Yes, government programs help, but that’s sort of a band-aid. And in the long term, there’s not a lot of risk management tools either. And so you think about crop insurance, it’s a year over year change, that it helps with working capital, can only last us so long. So these trade implosions is just an issue where we don’t have a lot of risk management. We don’t have a lot of policy programs to help fix that. And that’s why we’re thinking about that. I just, I think that the, the long tail on that could be really, really challenging,” said David Widmar.
Widmar also warns margins are likely to feel squeezed for some time. He tells aginfo.net more cuts will likely need to come before there is any kind of noticeable relief.
USDA data indicates that 13.7 percent of U.S. households experienced food insecurity in 2024, the highest rate since 2014, even as most households remained food secure.
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Weather, Tight Supplies, and Planning Shape Farm Decisions
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Bigger cows must wean proportionally heavier calves to justify higher ownership costs.
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Improving consumer confidence supports baseline food and fuel demand, but cautious spending limits upside potential for ag markets in 2026.
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Read the full press release published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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A look at the legislative year ahead as lawmakers return to Washington with a slate of trade concerns to tackle in 2026—from new Chinese tariffs on beef imports to the USMCA review this summer.
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