Agricultural trade is said to be the global movement of water, since crops generally move where water is plentiful to where it is less available. Since it is believed that climate change will have significant impacts on rainfall, it is important to monitor geographic changes in precipitation. FAO data available for the six-year period from 2012 to 2017 shows that 20 countries reported net increases in rainfall and 19 countries reported decreases.
Globally, the data shows a one percent increase in overall precipitation over the period. Most changes by country were relatively minor. However, four countries stand out for relatively larger changes in rainfall. A persistent decline in annual rainfall would encourage greater investment in irri...
What You Need to Know Today: Crude oil prices extended their rally today, supported by several developments, including escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure and growing concerns about supply disruptions. The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to remove 50 perc...
Key Takeaways: The agricultural trade surplus has become a sizable deficit: the balance swung from a $40.1 billion surplus in 2011 to a $40.7 billion deficit in 2025. Imports kept growing while exports lost momentum: between 2020 and 2025, agricultural imports increased 45 percent, compa...
USDA released its October Cattle on Feed report Friday, showing 11.4 million cattle in feedlots with capacity for 1,000 head or more, slightly below last year. September placements were the lowest for the month since records began in 1996, marking the third consecutive month of placements sett...
Total Red Meat & Poultry September 2026 total red meat and poultry stocks totaled 1.97 billion pounds, down 1.4 percent from August despite typically increasing 0.8 percent during the month, and were 1.5 percent below September 2025 levels. The decline pushed total inventories to a new five...
