Feedstuffs in Focus

Despite challenging weather conditions and an erratic global trade situation, there is a good chance feed prices could stabilize in 2020. Softer exports and strong planting intentions could keep corn prices below $4, and protein sources from soy to fishmeal should see plentiful supplies keep a lid on prices, too. Agricultural economist Ben Brown oversees the farm management program at The Ohio Sta...

U.S. net farm income is projected to hit $88 billion for 2019, a third-consecutive year of at least modest growth. But federal trade assistance payments are the underlying reason for that growth according to Ohio State University agricultural economist Ani Katchova.  Crop-sector receipts are expected to decline this year while animal product receipts are expected to remain flat in 2019. Modest gro...

African Swine Fever is a fatal swine disease with a near-100% fatality rate according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In the first year since its detection in Asia, more than 5 million pigs have died or been culled to prevent the spread of the virus. The latest data provided by FAO  indicates that current losses represent more than 10 percent of the total pig population in...

The world is hungry for protein.  According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, annual per capita meat consumption nearly doubled between 1961 and 2014, nearing 95 pounds. Over the next five years, some analysts project plant-based protein markets will top $14 billion globally, and the global protein ingredient markets will near $71 billion by 2025. What does...

Climate change. It has become one of the thorniest political problems and most socially-contentious issues in recent memory. From “Meatless Mondays” to the Impossible Burger, the notion that eating less meat might be good for the environment has gained traction in media coverage of climate issues and among consumers. But what does the data say? According to the 2019 Global Agricultural Productivit...