Quiet momentum building
- ZISK
- Sep 2
- 1 min read
In early February, USDA’s Economic Research Service projected nominal U.S. net farm income for 2025 at a near record $180 billion — a hair behind 2022’s $182 billion and up $41 billion from 2024. This early farm income estimate was bolstered by historically high cash receipts from the livestock sector and more than $42 billion in federal aid to support farmers after several years of catastrophic natural disasters in agriculture and to offset high input costs, low prices, and tight margins in the crop sector.
The wind has shifted since February.
A farm economy anomaly
A record 16.7-billion-bushel corn crop may be on the horizon. At the same time, prices for both old and new crops — from staples like corn, soybeans, and wheat to rice, cotton, and sugar — have fallen. These lower prices come at a time when production costs for these crops remain elevated and in some cases are at record highs. Crops are in a tight spot.
Sept. 1, 2025
John Newton
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