As discussed previously, the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) created by the Trump Administration in response to the tariff conflict it initiated is arguably an unprecedented effort and may signal a new direction in farm policy. According to USDA, the 2019…

A recent farmdoc daily article proposed using a negative operating profit margin ratio and a debt to asset ratio above 0.70 to measure whether a farm is financially stressed. Using this definition of financial stress, this article examines trends in…

Landowners will have a one-time yield updating decision under the 2018 Farm Bill: 1) keep the current Price Loss Coverage (PLC) yield that is assigned to a crop on a Farm Service Agency (FSA) farm or 2) update based on…

After a dismal performance in September and October, corn demand showed signs of life in November. Ethanol production and export sales picked up the pace over the last few weeks. Expanded placements and higher weights in the livestock sector point…

According to NASS, 20 percent—some 2 million acres—of the 2019 Illinois corn crop was still in the field on November 17. Following unprecedented delays in planting, the warm weather in September helped move the crop towards maturity, and frost did…

Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments have served as a significant source of revenue on grain farms in 2018 and 2019. Without MFP payments, average farmer returns would be negative in 2019, and far below any level since consistent records began…