WEEKLY AGRICULTURAL NEWS AND REPORTING

Where Landowners Get Their News

Your 365-day connection to the industry insights, conversations, and reporting of The Land Investment Expo.

SBA Regional Director Brad Zaun: Agency Working to Expand Access to Capital in Rural America

Listen and subscribe to our weekly podcast on Spotify | Apple Podcasts The challenges facing rural America aren’t hard to find. Walk into any grocery store, talk to a cattle producer, or drive through a small town that’s lost a major employer, and the pressure points become obvious. But according to Small Business Administration Regional Director Brad Zaun, there’s a coordinated effort underway to change that trajectory—starting with access to capital and a renewed focus on c

Dave Price

1 hour ago

Featured Articles

WEEKLY AGRICULTURAL INSIGHTS

The Next Farm Shift: Why Millions of Acres May Leave Crop Production and What It Means for Landowners

A new set of long-term projections from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) points to a subtle but important shift in the U.S. farm economy: a significant reduction in the number of acres used to plant row crops over the next ten years. Economists with the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois outlined this trend and wrote about what it means for farmers and landowners on the farmdoc website. Ten-Year USDA Outlook Total Planted

Brooke Bouma Kohlsdorf

17 minutes ago3 min read

Visual arrow increasing "Fertilizer price" overlayed on farmland

New Survey: Most Farmers Can’t Afford Fertilizer

How dire is the escalating price of fertilizer for America’s farmers and ranchers? The American Farm Bureau Federation knew that it was getting more challenging and conducted a nationwide survey of 5,700 farmers in early April to find out. The results: nearly 70% of those farmers reported that they were unable to afford all the fertilizer they need. Some fertilizer costs have already increased 40% since the U.S. military strikes began against Iran in February. Midwestern

Dave Price

24 minutes ago2 min read

Dairy Producers See Hope in Weight Loss Craze in America

Younger generations haven’t been drinking nearly as much milk as their parents’ generation or especially their grandparents’ generation. But America’s new focus on higher protein consumption could increase demand for dairy products. The country’s newfound use of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss has emphasized the need for protein to maintain muscle mass. GLP-1 drugs have helped decrease appetite for adults, but they can also lead to decreased muscle during the weight loss process.

Dave Price

28 minutes ago2 min read

Latest Agricultural Reporting

NEWS, INSIGHTS, ANALYSIS, & INTERVIEWS

The Next Farm Shift: Why Millions of Acres May Leave Crop Production and What It Means for Landowners

A new set of long-term projections from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) points to a subtle but important shift in the U.S. farm economy: a significant reduction in the number of acres used to plant row crops over the next ten years. Economists with the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois outlined this trend and wrote about what it means for farmers and landowners on the farmdoc website. Ten-Year USDA Outlook Total Planted

CULTURE & EVENTS

Brooke Bouma Kohlsdorf

17 minutes ago3 min read

New Survey: Most Farmers Can’t Afford Fertilizer

How dire is the escalating price of fertilizer for America’s farmers and ranchers? The American Farm Bureau Federation knew that it was getting more challenging and conducted a nationwide survey of 5,700 farmers in early April to find out. The results: nearly 70% of those farmers reported that they were unable to afford all the fertilizer they need. Some fertilizer costs have already increased 40% since the U.S. military strikes began against Iran in February. Midwestern

POLICY, POLITICS, & GOVERNMENT

Dave Price

24 minutes ago2 min read

Dairy Producers See Hope in Weight Loss Craze in America

Younger generations haven’t been drinking nearly as much milk as their parents’ generation or especially their grandparents’ generation. But America’s new focus on higher protein consumption could increase demand for dairy products. The country’s newfound use of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss has emphasized the need for protein to maintain muscle mass. GLP-1 drugs have helped decrease appetite for adults, but they can also lead to decreased muscle during the weight loss process.

CULTURE & EVENTS

Dave Price

28 minutes ago2 min read

SBA Regional Director Brad Zaun: Agency Working to Expand Access to Capital in Rural America

Listen and subscribe to our weekly podcast on Spotify | Apple Podcasts The challenges facing rural America aren’t hard to find. Walk into any grocery store, talk to a cattle producer, or drive through a small town that’s lost a major employer, and the pressure points become obvious. But according to Small Business Administration Regional Director Brad Zaun, there’s a coordinated effort underway to change that trajectory—starting with access to capital and a renewed focus on c

LANDOWNERS PODCAST

Dave Price

1 hour ago4 min read

What John Deere’s Right to Repair Settlement Means

John Deere agreed to pay out $99 million to settle a class-action lawsuit for a practice about which farmers have complained for years: right to repair. In the terms of the settlement, Deere did not acknowledge that it did anything wrong but would pay out the money to farmers following the longstanding allegations that it restricted access to tools and repairs. Those restrictions, farmers complained, essentially limited repairs to certain dealers, raised costs, and establishe

POLICY, POLITICS, & GOVERNMENT

Dave Price

7 days ago2 min read

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on Rise in Farm Bankruptcies

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has pushed people to think about perspective as they look at Chapter 12 bankruptcies that increased for farmers by 46% year-to-year. "A quick note on that bankruptcy number,” Rollins told Fox Business . “Any time you hear that number, anyone should panic.” Rollins doesn’t want producers to focus on the percentage increase. “Honestly, it went from 30 farms, I think, to 60 or 70 farms. So, the percentage looks tough, but out of over

FARMLAND FINANCE & INVESTMENT (FIN)

Dave Price

Apr 102 min read

SBA Program Expands Credit Access and Flexibility in Farm and Land Markets

New loan opportunities are available for landowners and the food supply chain through a source that farmers don’t typically consider. And they include borrowing limits more than double USDA options. In Marc h, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the “Grocery Guarantee,” aimed at reducing grocery costs by expanding access for its SBA International Trade Loan (ITL) Program. On May 1st, the agency said at least 22 new categories of farm and agribusinesses in the

POLICY, POLITICS, & GOVERNMENT

David Geiger

Apr 103 min read

AgAmerica’s Curt Covington: Why Farmland Values May Drop

The years-long increase in farmland values may finally fall victim to financial pressure’s gravity after previously showing remarkable resilience despite inflation, supply chain strains, input cost increases, and declining farmer incomes. That is the feeling from Curt Covington, Senior Director of Institution Credit at AgAmerica Lending.

LANDOWNERS PODCAST

Dave Price

Apr 105 min read

Farmer moves soil between hands, sunset in background

Producers Criticize End of USDA Program That Helped Emerging Farmers

DEI disdain trumped a federal program that provided funding for some beginning farmers in 40 states. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has become a target by Republican-led governmental entities across the United States over the past several years amid criticism that the efforts to aid groups that have faced discrimination are themselves racist. Supporters of DEI say that the programs help various demographic communities that have not had the same economic opportunities that o

POLICY, POLITICS, & GOVERNMENT

Dave Price

Apr 32 min read

Oregon Offers Prime Cattle Country Without the Premium Price Tag

Jackson Creek Ranch. Photo courtesy: Fay Ranches. An 800-acre cattle ranch in southern Oregon sold in February for $5,000,000. Pictures of the high-elevation ground look like something you would see on a postcard. With the Cascade Mountains in the background, rolling terrain, and abundant wildlife, the beauty of the land makes it seem less like a working ranch and more like a place you would go on vacation to get away from it all. But Jackson Creek Ranch is a busy place for t

FARMLAND FINANCE & INVESTMENT (FIN)

Brooke Bouma Kohlsdorf

Apr 33 min read

aerial view of fertilizer application over corn field

How Much the War with Iran Increases Costs for American Farmers

The decision by the Trump administration to attack Iran in retaliation for that country’s previous and potential future attacks on Americans continues to raise costs for producers, especially fertilizer. The economic hardship caused nearly two dozen U.S. agricultural organizations to already reach out to the U.S. Department of Commerce to ask for reductions in tariffs that have further increased fertilizer costs. Here is how much more expensive it has become for America’s far

COMMODITIES & CROP MANAGEMENT

Dave Price

Apr 33 min read

Corn Leader Mark Mueller: Time for White House to Push Harder for E15

Mark Mueller is a fourth-generation farmer from northeast Iowa who has grown corn for three decades and serves in a statewide role with a national voice. Those credentials are likely the reason that he received a V.I.P. invite to an event at the White House.

LANDOWNERS PODCAST

Dave Price

Apr 34 min read

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Where Landowners Get Their News Podcast

DISCUSSIONS WITH INDUSTRY THOUGHT LEADERS

SBA Regional Director Brad Zaun: Agency Working to Expand Access to Capital in Rural America

Listen and subscribe to our weekly podcast on Spotify | Apple Podcasts The challenges facing rural America aren’t hard to find. Walk into any grocery store, talk to a cattle producer, or drive through a small town that’s lost a major employer, and the pressure points become obvious. But according to Small Business Administration Regional Director Brad Zaun, there’s a coordinated effort underway to change that trajectory—starting with access to capital and a renewed focus on c

1 hour ago4 min read

AgAmerica’s Curt Covington: Why Farmland Values May Drop

The years-long increase in farmland values may finally fall victim to financial pressure’s gravity after previously showing remarkable resilience despite inflation, supply chain strains, input cost increases, and declining farmer incomes. That is the feeling from Curt Covington, Senior Director of Institution Credit at AgAmerica Lending.

Apr 105 min read

Corn Leader Mark Mueller: Time for White House to Push Harder for E15

Mark Mueller is a fourth-generation farmer from northeast Iowa who has grown corn for three decades and serves in a statewide role with a national voice. Those credentials are likely the reason that he received a V.I.P. invite to an event at the White House.

Apr 34 min read

Farmer and Strategist Brian Reisinger: Politicians, Pay Attention to Rural America

Brian Reisinger has worked for a governor who ran for president, a U.S. Senator who ran for president, and another U.S. Senator who thought about running for president. These days, Reisinger has put politics aside as he has focused full-time on agriculture, his business, and his young family.

Mar 274 min read

Joshua Manske: Back to the Farm after Pro Golf Career

The family farm required the same characteristic that helped Joshua Manske thrive on the golf course: patience. Agriculture was never really something Manske left behind. But it was something that patiently waited for him to return.

Mar 204 min read

Renewable Energy Leader Jeff Risely: Finding Compromise with Farmers and Neighbors

As renewable energy projects expand across rural America, many landowners are weighing the benefits of wind and solar leases against concerns from neighbors and local officials. For farmers looking for financial stability in a volatile agricultural economy, the conversation increasingly centers on how to find reasonable compromises that allow development while addressing community concerns. That balancing act is at the heart of the work being done by the Renewable Energy Farm

Mar 134 min read

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American Farmland Owner Hayfields mountains

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