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.
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Knowledge Exchange Partner

Knowledge Exchange Partner

Dairy Markets Show Positive Trends

In this month’s Knowledge Exchange Partner article, Corey Geiger of CoBank, reviews the U.S. dairy markets. It enters the rest of 2026 with renewed optimism as improving margins, strong protein demand, and record export activity reshape the outlook. At the same time, rapid butterfat growth, global uncertainty, and market volatility signal the need for strategic risk management ahead.

May 3, 2026

 herd of cows eating hay and man in barn on dairy farm

Latest From Today's Harvest Blog

Blooming apple orchard in agricultural field, in summer sun with anti-hail netting for protection against weather factors.
Crop Insurance
USDA’s New ASCF Program: What Specialty Crop Growers Should Know (and Do) Right Now

If you grow specialty crops, there’s a new USDA program worth your attention. The Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers (ASCF) Program was designed to help producers navigate the financial pressure many faced in 2025. Rising input costs, ongoing inflation and market disruptions all contributed to tighter margins. This program offers a one-time payment to help offset those challenges. 

June 2, 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

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Ripe blueberries growing on green leafed bush
Crop Insurance
Reminder: Crop Insurance Deadline for Perennial Fruit Crops
The deadline to insure Northeast perennial crops for the 2026 crop year is November 20, 2025. Insurable perennial crops include apples, peaches, grapes, cranberries, blueberries, pears and cherries.

October 01, 2025

Ripe juicy red apples in a container. Production facilities of large warehouse - grading, packing and storage of crops.
Crop Insurance
The Importance of Production Records when Insuring your Apple Crop

With harvest upon us, apple bins are being filled and moved into storage. While this is a busy time of year for growers, it’s important to ensure you are proactively keeping track of production. We all have different ways to capture production information — whether it be a software with bin tags, hard copy logs from each trucker or sales records. The most important thing is the record keeping is done accurately.  

September 15, 2025

Round hay bale in harvested agriculture field
Crop Insurance
Protect Your Hay Production with Pasture, Rangeland and Forage Crop Insurance

Are you a livestock or hay producer concerned about unpredictable weather affecting your forage production? Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) insurance is an important risk management tool to protect your operation from insufficient precipitation (rainfall, snow, etc.), offering flexible coverage levels and automatic claims processing.

August 26, 2025

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 2026 crop year is September 30, 2025. Insurable fall crops include barley, forage production and wheat. Coverage availability varies by county.

August 11, 2025

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. 

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Cover of the 2024 Economic Impact report