Ag Industry Trends & Outlooks

The dairy industry is inherently unpredictable, with market fluctuations, weather conditions, and production variables all contributing to an unstable income landscape for dairy farmers. Dairy Revenue Protection (DRP) is a valuable tool to mitigate these risks and provide a more stable financial footing.

After a rapid rise in 2021 and 2022, the Farm Credit East Production Cost Index has plateaued after relatively modest increases over the previous decade.  This index tracks farm production costs on a relative basis, weighted towards costs that affect Northeast producers most. Major components of the index include labor, energy, family living expenses, crop inputs, as well as costs like animal feed and other dairy-related expenses, given that sector’s prominence in our region.

Dr. Bob Maltsbarger, Senior Research Economist with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, gives his insights on the state of the cash grain and oilseed industries for 2024, including U.S. production, supply and demand trends, competition from other countries, weather-related market fluctuations, and other industry related conditions in this year's industry outlook report.

In this month's Knowledge Exchange Partner, Forest Economic Advisors, LLC (FEA) examines the forest product markets over the coming year including the state of recession predictions, overall economic growth, and construction and manufacturing markets in this year's 2024 Outlook for the Forest Products Industry report.