Today’s Harvest Blog

With a challenging housing market and a resumption of 25% tariff on U.S. imports of Canadian goods, what is at store for the forest products industry for 2025? Farm Credit recently hosted a webinar with Paul Jannke, of Forest Economic Advisors, to present a 2025 forest products industry outlook. Below are key takeaways on current housing market trends, inflationary pressures and economic factors that are affecting the industry. 

The USDA’s Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) opened applications on March 19, 2025, providing $10 billion in economic assistance to farmers. This initiative is part of a broader $31 billion package approved by Congress in December 2024, aimed at supporting farmers affected by natural disasters in 2023 and 2024. The USDA plans to release initial payments, covering 85% of the total, with supplemental payments expected in the summer. 

Vermont Saves is a retirement savings program created to give an option to employers that do not offer retirement benefits. The Vermont Saves Program allows employees to contribute to their own Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA) through automatic payroll deductions. 

As of March 21, 2025, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has announced significant changes narrowing the scope of the reporting requirements for beneficial ownership information (BOI) under the Corporate Transparency Act. This update, consistent with the U.S. Department of the Treasury's recent announcement, aims to simplify the process for U.S. companies and individuals.