Rural Money
CoBank Knowledge Exchange’s Jeff Johnston shares the group’s positive perspective on expanding data centers into rural areas and weighs the risks and rewards for those communities.
Jeff Johnston with CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange explains the growing role of Rural America in supporting the nation’s digital infrastructure.
“I’m not sure where this bridge goes,” trader Brady Huck with Advanced Trading told RFD-TV News earlier this week.
CoBank’s 2026 Year Ahead Report cites global grain oversupply, easing inflation, rate cuts, and major data center growth that could reshape rural America.
Strong Farm Credit finances help cushion producers, but prolonged low crop margins could strain renewals in 2026.
USDA data confirms that U.S. agriculture remains overwhelmingly family-run despite structural shifts in scale and production, according to a new analystis by Farm Flavor.
Rural employers are slightly more optimistic, but labor shortages and renewed price pressures continue to limit growth across farm country according to a
Grain farms still have strong balance sheets, but another stretch of low profits will force hard cost cuts, especially on high-rent, highly leveraged operations.
Joe Peiffer with Ag & Business Legal Strategies advises farmers on end-of-year financial planning, including preparing records, avoiding common credit mistakes, and evaluating equipment purchases for 2026.
$11 billion will go to row-crop farmers immediately, with $1 billion set aside for specialty crops.
Southern producers head into 2026 with thin margins, tighter credit, and rising agronomic risks despite scattered yield improvements.
Credit stress is building for row-crop farms despite steady land values and slight price improvements.
RFD-TV Farm Legal and Tax Expert Roger McEowen explains the basics of Low-Risk Credit in Farming, and how an understanding of the farm credit landscape lets producers tactfully approach debt.
Low-risk credit farming is not a technique; it is a culture of financial discipline. It requires the same level of expertise in the farm office as it does in the field.
Working capital is tightening for crop farms, increasing reliance on operating loans even as land values steady in the broader sector.