Rising Concerns: What ag leaders warn is their top worry heading into next year

interest rates_financial graph on technology abstract background_Photo by monsitj via Adobe Stock_190463205.jpg

Photo by monsitj via Adobe Stock

A new report shows the top concern facing ag lenders heading into next year is interest rates.

The Ag Lender Survey shows nearly half of those who responded ranked interest rate volatility as number one, which is up 35.5 percentage points from last year. It shows interest rates have boosted bank net interest margins, but fears of weakening loan demand and strong competition are expected to cut into yields.

Most lenders surveyed say farm profitability increased over the last year but it still remains below the prior average.

Related Stories
Farmland outlook is tracking closely with producer confidence, investment appetite, and financial expectations.
StoneX’s Josh Linville discusses USDA’s efforts to boost domestic fertilizer production and his outlook on supply and prices.
Landowners interested in protecting working ground through an easement now have another funding window open until the end of May.
Domestic demand policy may play a larger role if export competition continues to limit price recovery.
Tennessee corn and soy farmer Josh Ogle joins us to discuss rapid planting progress in the state, improving moisture conditions, and early crop development challenges in the MidSouth region.
Beef is leading the decline as slaughter drops and supplies tighten.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences recently opened its newest research and education center, once operated by the USDA.
Cargill’s beef processing plant in Schuyler, Nebraska, closed early Thursday due to a fire and ammonia leak.
Researchers at Iowa State University have identified a new strain of PED virus.
Researchers in Florida are a step closer to finding a possible cure for citrus canker.
If a farmer wants his tobacco to go from the curing barn to the sale barn, there’s only one way to get the crop ready.