Big Ag continues to be the focus of attacks by populists who nostalgically, though without substantiation, insist that food from small and local is environmentally and socially superior. It is important to first understand the unique role played by agriculture. The agriculture sector contributes only 2.34 percent of the employment in the OECD 24 and its share of R&D spending was just 1.24 percent, and yet it contributed a third of the economic productivity growth. Productivity is the core economic function that enables increased consumption with lower levels of work. Imagine what would happen if R&D spending were increased.
While small farms contribute to the sector, it is large enterprises that deliver large value t...
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...
