Ag Industry Trends & Outlooks

This month's Knowledge Exchange Partner highlights a series of Industry Snapshots, compiled by Farm Credit East's Director of Knowledge Exchange, Chris Laughton. In addition to a summary of the national economy, northeast farm economy sectors such as dairy, timber and forest products, cash field crops, livestock, fruit, vegetables, greenhouse and fishing are included.

This year’s National Ag Day is Tuesday, March 18. And this year, we celebrate the important role Northeast agriculture, commercial fishing and forest products plays in our everyday lives. 

As dairy producers know all too well, the dairy industry is prone to significant volatility and risk. Fluctuations in milk prices, feed costs and other factors can wreak havoc on profit margins. Fortunately, there are two important risk management tools available to dairy operations.

Farm Credit East recently hosted a webinar with Christopher Wolf, of Cornell University, to provide a 2025 Dairy Industry Outlook. Trade issues and policy changes may lead to shocks affecting milk prices and feed costs. Below is a summary of 2024 milk production followed by important factors that will influence the industry in 2025.