Farm Policy News — part of the farmdoc project at Illinois — provides updates on current developments in the global farm economy and U.S. farm policy.
Urbana, IL
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This map gives you a rough sense of all the ways U.S. land is used. Much of U.S. land serves specific purposes, such as the 2 million acres devoted to golf courses or the 3 million acres for airports.bloom.bg/37XnVYh
Since its launch, the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer sentiment has not consistently moved with farm income.
From Meridian Ag Advisors: tinyurl.com/2rmdrx2s
1/ On January 1, 2026, the #beef #cow #herd stood at 27.6 million head, the smallest since 1961 and the seventh consecutive annual decline, according to USDA.
From Meridian Ag Advisors: tinyurl.com/2rmdrx2s
2/2 CattleFax estimates #beef-on-dairy #calf production rose from about 50,000 head in 2014 to 3.22 million in 2024 and projects 5 million to 6 million head in 2026.
From Meridian Ag Advisors: tinyurl.com/2rmdrx2s
Supplier results suggest higher #input #costs have largely been passed through, rather than higher prices generating outsized margins.
From Meridian Ag Advisors: tinyurl.com/2rmdrx2s
Measured from January 2019, USDA's index of #prices received for #crops averaged 32 points above the index of prices paid by crop producers in 2022. That cushion narrowed to 3 points in 2024 and turned negative in 2025.
From Meridian Ag Advisors: tinyurl.com/2rmdrx2s
1/ Measured from recent peaks, #farmland sale #prices are down 1% in North Dakota to 11% in Illinois, and in all seven states land values remain 25% to 54% above their 2019 level.
From Meridian Ag Advisors: tinyurl.com/2rmdrx2s
2/2 In 2025, average US #cropland value was equal to 16.3 times corn operating return per acre and 17.1 times soybean operating return per acre, compared to 1997 to 2025 averages of about 11 times.
From Meridian Ag Advisors: tinyurl.com/2rmdrx2s
1/ Since 1970, US #farm #income has moved in cycles of roughly six years of expansion and four years of correction, based on a Meridian Ag Advisors analysis of USDA data.
From Meridian Ag Advisors: tinyurl.com/2rmdrx2s
Iowa daily cash grain bids — Oct. 23 — bit.ly/3ApvsPi
#Iowa average price:
- #Corn: $4.13
- #Soybeans: $11.86
Illinois grain bids — Oct. 23 — bit.ly/3KrLGw9
#Illinois average price:
- #Corn: 4.26
- #Soybeans: 12.25
The majority of U.S. #corn seed expenditure is on relatively complex seed technologies. The most common Brazilian corn seed is an older seed technology, and accounts for over 20% of seed expenditures in Brazil.
From the @USDA_ERS: tinyurl.com/mrxupzs2
1/ Adoption of genetically engineered (GE) #corn and #soybeans in the United States, from 2000 to 2025.
From the @USDA_ERS: tinyurl.com/mrxupzs2
2/2 Adoption of genetically engineered (GE) #corn and #soybeans in #Brazil, from 2003 to 2025.
From the @USDA_ERS: tinyurl.com/mrxupzs2
1/ Ag weather outlook from the @usda_oce, Oct. 26:
Cool air in the northwest half of the Plains and upper Midwest will soon retreat north, allowing above-normal #temperatures to cover much of the central and eastern U.S. for the remainder of the week.
bit.ly/3Rn0a2F
3/ #Rain in the upper Midwest may linger through mid-week. Toward week’s end, wet weather may develop in the south-central U.S., with 1- to 3- inch rainfall totals possible in western and central Texas. Elsewhere, dry weather will prevail during the next 5 days.
4/4 Occasional #rain and #snow showers will affect the Northwest.
Read the full ag weather outlook for Oct. 26 here: bit.ly/3Rn0a2F