Ag Industry Trends & Outlooks

Discover insights, trends, ag market outlooks and other topical information as it relates to the Northeast's diverse agricultural industries. Brought to you by Knowledge Exchange from Farm Credit East.

Knowledge Exchange Partner

Understanding the Agricultural Impacts of Wildfire Smoke

Wildfire smoke darkened skies across the Northeast for at least three consecutive days this July. Orange clouds were evidence of fires raging thousands of miles away in Ontario, Canada and northern Minnesota. While the duration and impact of wildfires have historically been concentrated in the Western United States, the issue is becoming a more frequent concern on the east coast. What impact does sustained wildfire smoke have on agriculture in our region?

August 7, 2026

burning dry grass in spring, air pollution due to burning dry grass

Latest From Today's Harvest Blog

Colorful bell peppers in shades of red, green, and orange growing on plants in a greenhouse, with ripe peppers in focus and a softly blurred background.

Crop Insurance

Fresh Market Pepper Coverage Expands in the Northeast: What It Means for Producers

The USDA Risk Management Agency has expanded fresh market pepper crop insurance coverage to additional counties in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, offering producers enhanced risk management tools aligned with production cycles and market conditions.

August 12, 2026

Featured Webinar

A display of red ripe Macoun apples - a sweet crisp eating apple from the Hudson Valley of New York State.

Business Tips and Tools

2026 Apple Industry Outlook Webinar

Farm Credit East and Horizon Farm Credit recently hosted Chris Gerlach of USApple for a discussion on the prevailing trends and forces shaping the U.S. apple industry.

April 16, 2026

All from Knowledge Exchange

Search articles

Filter by category

Filter by year

Close up image of grain crop growing in a field ready for harvest

Crop Insurance

Reminder: Fall Crop Sales Closing Deadline is September 30

The deadline to insure fall crops in the Northeast for the 2027 crop year is September 30, 2026. Insurable fall crops include barley, forage production and wheat. Coverage availability varies by county.

August 12, 2026

Crop Insurance

USDA Risk Management Agency Announces Emergency Claim Procedures for New York Apple Growers Following Spring Freeze

Following the devastating spring freeze that damaged apple orchards across key production regions, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced emergency procedures to accelerate crop insurance claim processing and indemnity payments for impacted New York apple growers.

July 08, 2026

Couple of farmers examines the field of cereals

Crop Insurance

Understanding USDA’s Base Acre Review Opportunity: What Farmers Need to Know

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a significant opportunity for landowners to review and potentially increase their base acres under the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs. For many operations, this represents the first opportunity in more than two decades to align farm program base acres with more recent planting history.

June 09, 2026

Crop Insurance

Livestock Risk Protection Policy Updates and June 30 Transfer Deadline

The USDA Risk Management Agency has announced significant updates to the Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) program effective July 1, 2026. These changes are intended to improve flexibility, expand coverage opportunities and create more consistency across livestock insurance products. The deadline for producers to transfer LRP providers to Crop Growers is June 30, 2026.

June 08, 2026

Northeast Economic Engine

Download Farm Credit East’s Northeast Economic Engine report, which analyzes the economic impact of the Northeast agriculture, forest products, commercial fishing and food manufacturing industries. This report was released in October 2024.

Enter your email

*Required

Cover of the 2024 Economic Impact report