Third year of farm income decline is on the horizon
Lower market prices for many crops and for poultry will pull down farmer income in 2025, bringing the third year in a row of declining net farm income, said the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) on Monday. Net farm income, a gauge of profitability, would fall by 6 percent in 2025 and rebound modestly in 2026, said the University of Missouri think tank.
Farm sector is in a downturn
After seeing record profitability in 2022, the U.S. farm sector is in a downturn for an indefinite period, said a band of agricultural economists on Monday. Congress could feel pressure to provide a bailout to buffer the decline in income, at the same time that producers try to pare their costs, they said at a conference sponsored by the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City.
High obesity rates in 23 states
New population data show that in 23 of the 50 states, at least 35 percent of adults are obese, a startling increase in a decade, said the Centers for Disease Control. Before 2013, adult obesity did not reach these rates in a single state.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Barn fires kill livestock: Nearly 1.5 million farm animals have died in barn fires so far this year and more than 8 million in the past decade. Fires are often started by malfunctioning heating and electrical systems, but producers say sprinkler systems are unaffordable. (Vox)
H5N1 in 207 herds: The H5N1 avian flu virus was confirmed in four additional dairy herds — two in Texas and one each in Idaho and California — bringing the U.S. total to 207 herds in 14 states since late March. (USDA)
Rapid harvest: While in their early stages, the corn and soybean harvests are running ahead of normal; 9 percent of corn and 6 percent of the soybeans were in the bin at the start of this week, 3 percentage points ahead of the five-year average for each crop. (USDA)
