Today’s Harvest Blog

Today’s Harvest is a valued, timely resource for stories, news, tips and information relevant to Northeast agriculture and our customers.
Farm tractor in a field during the fall harvest

Latest From Today's Harvest Blog

Ag Economy

2026 Forest Products Outlook: Key Takeaways for a Shifting Industry

Farm Credit East Knowledge Exchange

From national economic trends to housing demand, lumber supply and global trade shifts, many economic forces are shaping the U.S. forest products industry. In a recent Farm Credit East webinar, Paul Jannke, of Forest Economic Advisors, provided an economic forecast pointing to a year of stability, modest growth and continued adjustment across the forest products sector. The following are the key insights from the webinar. 

April 7, 2026

Close up on stack of rough sawn timber pine lumber planks

Latest Tax Talk

Drone view of three farm workers harvesting apples
Tax Talks
Revisiting the NYS Farm Employer Overtime Credit for 2026

In this update, we share key 2026 changes to New York’s Farm Employer Overtime Credit, including expanded eligible overtime hours, shifting thresholds, and new certification requirements for all farm employers. We also highlight reminders on payroll adjustments and advance payment options to help farmers stay compliant and prepared for the season ahead.

March 31, 2026

Today's Harvest Blog

Flatbed wagon in a sod farm field at sunset
Ag Economy
2024 Forecast for the Northeast Green Industry

Farm Credit East recently hosted a webinar with Dr. Charlie Hall, of Texas A&M University, to review green industry (including nursery, greenhouse and sod industries) operational and financial performance in 2023 and provide a 2024 outlook. Read on for the key takeaways from this webinar. 

April 16, 2024

Adult male farmer sitting on open trunkbed in a crop field using a laptop
Tax Talks
Life Insurance Redemptions Falling Under IRS Scrutiny

In the context of farming business structures, acquiring a life insurance policy is a prevalent practice. Here are two common scenarios and an update on an ongoing Supreme Court case involving the IRS concerning the valuation of businesses when insurance payouts are implicated and whether such proceeds are deemed liabilities or not.

April 11, 2024

Capital building with farm field background
Public Policy
2024 Farm Bill Update

The Farm Bill has been bogged down since the Fall while Congress has battled over funding the government. Given it’s an election year, Congressional leaders have acknowledged if the Farm Bill isn’t passed by mid-year, it will likely be extended for another year leaving it for the next Congress to complete. Several Farm Credit backed proposals have been introduced this Congress that would allow Farm Credit to lean into meeting the capital needs of rural America. The intent is for these “marker bills” to be included in the Farm Bill. Here is a summary of four of them.

April 09, 2024

Apple on tree
Ag Economy
5 Takeaways from the 2024 Apple Outlook

According to the USAppleTracker monthly storage report, November holdings were 191 million bushels – an all-time high, eclipsing the mark set during the 2014/15 season. What does this mean for the 2024 season? Farm Credit East recently hosted a webinar with Chris Gerlach, USApple’s Director of Industry Analytics, to find out.

April 04, 2024

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