As farms continue to consolidate it becomes increasingly important to assess a farm’s management skills. At a certain farm size, it is no longer easy or feasible for the manager or managers to wear every management hat. How does the…

On December 1, 2018, the University of Nebraska Press released a book I have spent the last few years writing, The Fault Lines of Farm Policy: A Legislative and Political History of the Farm Bill. We await the details of…

On November 30th, the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) released revised forecasts for 2018 farm incomes. The revised forecast suggest that aggregate net farm income is expected to decline by 12.1 percent from 2017 to $66.3 billion. The revised forecast,…

Reports suggest that the 2018 Farm Bill will be signed soon. Given the proposals contained in the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill, it seems likely that most farmers will select Price Loss Coverage (PLC) to provide protection…

Pork producers are expected to struggle with hog prices below costs of production through the winter. Record pork production and trade disputes continue to be the near-term drag on prices. However, lean hog futures are more optimistic for spring and…

Dairy policy has been a cornerstone US farm policy issue of 2018. Along with cotton policy, it was initially addressed in the Bipartisan Budget Act of February 2018. Dairy policy has continued to receive considerable attention during the farm bill…