Center for Agricultural and Rural Development

Media Contacts

Monday, November 17, 2025

Successful Farming quoted Professor Chad Hart in the story "Are Autonomous Machines the Answer to Your Farm Labor Challenges?" The article looks at how autonomous machines have changed farm labor. Hart said "This has been going on forever. What is different now is that the sophistication of the machinery is such that it’s replacing labor that, say a generation or two ago, we couldn’t imagine that there would be a machine that would do that type of work."

Professor Hart was also interviewed by Iowa News Now for the article "Iowa farmers can apply for second round funding in USDA's natural disaster relief program," which details additional disaster relief funding available to farmers from USDA. Hart said "The most popular forms of crop insurance here in the state of Iowa, most farmers choose something that's at that, what we call the 80% coverage level, meaning they have to suffer about a 20% loss before that insurance would start to kick in and provide payments. This stage two of the Supplemental Disaster Program is going to help cover some of those losses."

 

Sunday, November 16, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by The Gazette for the story "Amid trade turmoil, Iowa farmers turn to grain storage as markets stall," which details how US farmers are handling harvested crops while tariffs make international trade difficult. Hart said "farmers are hoping to hang on to the crops for a little while longer in hopes that prices will improve and typically, they do over time. As we move further away from harvest, we do tend to see prices improve, and so that's why they're looking to use that storage."

 

Friday, November 14, 2025

High Plains Journal interviewed Professor Chad Hart for the article "China return to buying US soybeans welcome news," which examines how China purchasing 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans could affect US farmers. Hart told HPJ that "The deal definitely helps soybean growers, as it guarantees over 400 million bushels of Chinese export sales this year and roughly 900 million bushels of Chinese export sales for the three years after. The caution would be ‘what happens after that’. If you think back to the Phase 1 trade deal, the US soybean market factored the increased sales under Phase 1 beyond the agreement, and that did not happen. So, we have to recall that the guarantee only goes so far.

 

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

The Bellevue Herald-Leader spoke with Professor Chad Hart for the story "2025 fall harvest good, but farmers concerned with ag economy; low grain prices," which focuses on how Iowa farmers are feeling about the fall harvest and US grain markets. Hart said that once farmers factor in their input costs, it’s hard to pencil out a profit.

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Professor Hart was also quoted in the Farm Progress story "U.S. soybean farmers pay price of trade war with China," which details how the Trump administration's trade war is affecting US farmers. Hart said "The country that wins a trade war is the one that doesn’t participate. In 2018, it wasn’t us. It wasn’t China. It was Brazil."

 

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed for the Brownfield Ag News article "China trade buzz boosts soybean prices to start the week," which details how President Trump's optimism over a trade deal with China affected market prices. Hart said "Any whisper we hear about China, the market is definitely reacting. So it’s definitely volatility-inducing. As you’re looking right now, the market’s wanting to put on 10, 15, 20 cents whenever we're getting positive news about China. So that tells you that they see upside beyond that."

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Professor Hart was also quoted in the PolitiFact article "US soybean farmers criticize Argentina 'bailout.' How are the issues linked?" which examines how the proposed US bailout of Argentina will affect US soybean farmers. Hart said Trump’s high-tariff trade policy "amplifies the issues," of US farmers worrying about heightened competition from South America.

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Monday, October 20, 2025

Assistant Professor Rabail Chandio was interviewed by Sentient Media for the article "Trump’s Tariffs Have U.S. Soybean Farmers Looking for Buyers," which details the impacts of the Trump administration's tariffs on US soybean farmers. Chandio told Sentient that soybean producers may seek out alternative domestic markets for their products.

 

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Harvest Public Media for the article "How the federal shutdown is hurting Midwest farmers — already dealing with a difficult year," which examines how the federal government shutdown is affecting US farmers. Hart said that "This is one of the worst times within the year to shut down USDA. You combine that with you’re shutting it down at a time when the ag economy is in a recession, so it’s sort of a double-barrel hit."

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Saturday, October 18, 2025

WVNews quoted Professor Chad Hart in the story "Co-ops prep for storage crunch." The article examines how the recent soybean harvest will impact the US grain storage industry. Hart told WVNews that "We could see piles of corn or beans, but it depends on how long farmers hold onto them or take to the elevator or move them as quick as they can. With China out of the mix for soybean buys, it’s good we have seen some export growth to Taiwan and Mexico. It will also be interesting to see if more moves happen to crush domestic programs, which would help out for a little while."

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Wednesday, October 15, 2025

KCCI quoted Professor Chad Hart in the article "Iowa farmers sound alarm as Trump administration backs $20 billion Argentina bailout," which examines how Iowa farmers feel about the Trump Administration's $20 billion bailout for Argentina. Hart said "When you add all this together, it leads to falling soybean prices, which means lower farm incomes. At the same time, they’re facing some of the highest costs they’ve ever seen."

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Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was quoted by The Daily Iowan in the article "As Iowa soybean farmers continue a record harvest, a trade war with China spells financial hardship for farmers," which details how the current trade war is affecting US farmers. Hart said "I don’t want to diminish the fact that some farmers will declare bankruptcy, and we are seeing an increase in that, but that said, even in a really great year, we have farm bankruptcies. It is like any other industry in that not everybody’s cut out or lucky enough to be able to do it. The economy tends to wean out those who can’t financially survive."

 

Monday, October 13, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the NPR story "Drought is shrinking Mississippi River levels — again. That's a big problem for farmers." The article discusses the dropping water levels in the Mississippi river and how it will affect US farmers. Hart said "It's sort of a double whammy for farmers here, they're facing lower prices for their corn and soybeans, if we can't move as fast down the river, but we're also facing higher fertilizer, higher input costs because of that same problem."

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Sunday, October 12, 2025

Yahoo Finance spoke with Professor Chad Hart for the story "US soybean farmers battered by trade row with China," which examines factors influencing the US soybean market. Hart told Yahoo that US farm bankruptcies have increased by about 50% since 2024.

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Thursday, October 9, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Iowa Public Radio for the story "As farmers face falling incomes, are land prices next?" which examines some of the indicators of farm economic health. Hart told IPR “We're seeing a modest decline on the land value side, even though farm incomes have gone through a much more dramatic drop.”

 

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

NPR Kansas City quoted Professor Chad Hart in the article "Crops look good across the Midwest and Great Plains. But farmers still face tough economy," which examines the factors working against US farmers as they harvest the 2025 crop. Hart said "A lot of what the farmers could control, they did and did well, which is leading to really strong production. But almost everything that's outside of their control has moved against them this year."

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Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Iowa Pubic Radio interviewed Professor Chad Hart on the latest episode of River to River, which examines pressures on Iowa's agricultural economy.

 

Monday, October 6, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Iowa News Now for the article "Economist says soybean aid package to likely provide short term relief," which examines possible effects of a proposed bailout for US farmers. Hart said "The agricultural economy is a lot like the general economy. It goes through cycles. We have periods of good times and we have recessions. Right now agriculture's definitely going through a recession."

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Friday, October 3, 2025

American Ag Network interviewed Professor Chad Hart about the current status of US grain and livestock markets. The video interview is included in the story "Harvest Pressure, News Headlines and A Quiet Friday Finish."

Professor Hart was also interviewed by QC News for the article "QCA farmers not fans of potential $10 billion federal bailout," which examines some Quad City farmers' opinions on a potential $10 billion federal bailout for farmers. Hart told QC News "Exports are the wildcard here. Because tariffs are creating some of that demand uncertainty."

 

Thursday, October 2, 2025

A CARD report authored by Drs. John Crespi, Chad Hart, Dermot Hayes, and Lee Schulz was cited in the Iowa Capitol Dispatch story "Iowa soybean president urges trade deal with China; calls Trump policies a ‘bitter pill’ for farmers," which describes how tariffs are affecting US farmers as they try to market soybeans. The report indicates that reciprocal tariffs could cost Iowa's soybean industry anywhere from $191 million to $1.5 billion.

The following stories cite the same CARD report:

 

Reuters interviewed Professor Chad Hart for the article "More pain for US farmers as government shutdown halts payments," which details the effects of the US government shutdown on US farmers who were already struggling due to tariffs. Hart told Reuters that 'the timing of this shutdown is particularly disruptive because farmers often rely on USDA loans to pay for machinery, fertilizer and other expenses during harvest season.'

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Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the NWestIowa article "Financial Pressure is Mounting," which details the how US farmers are struggling despite record-setting soybean harvests. Hart said that "The tariffs are part of this discussion as China was still purchasing several hundred million bushels of U.S. soybeans last marketing year and has not purchased officially — although there may be some Chinese soybean purchases listed in the unknown destinations category — any soybeans from the U.S. this marketing year. Whether this is a temporary or permanent issue depends on the ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and China."

 

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Wisconsin Ag Connection spoke with Professor Chad Hart for the article "U.S. Soybean Producers Search for New Markets," which examines the challenges US farmers are facing this harvest season. Hart told the publication that China buys more than half of all US soybeans, which is a gap that cannot be filled.

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Friday, September 26, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Iowa PBS for an episode of Market to Market, which focused on the US offering Argentina a line of credit to help its struggling economy, while at the same time, China made a deal to buy soybeans from Argentina. Hart said "…it makes sense for Argentina because they were searching for any way to help themselves out financially. But yeah, it just sort of comes as a sort of double whammy for us because what it did was, you know, here we are getting ready to provide support for them and then they make this move that definitely damages our ability to deal with the largest problem we've got arguably in trade."

 

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Kansas Public Radio for the article "China won't buy American soybeans anymore, leaving farmers with limited options," which examines the effects of China opting not to buy soybeans from US farmers in 2025. Hart told KPR that "To have [China] on the sidelines right now is a major problem, especially because prices were already fairly low and the cost of raising soybeans are fairly high right now. So profit margins were already probably in negative territory. And so this just adds to the financial issues that farmers are facing as they get ready to go into harvest.”

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Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the KIWA Radio article "Disease And Drought May Still Foul Iowa Farmers’ Yields," which details how recent dry weather and disease pressure may still affect soybean and corn harvests in Iowa. Hart told KIWA that USDA’s October report will show how disease and drought are affecting US corn production.

 

Monday, September 22, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the Iowa Public Radio article "This harvest could break records, but it's unlikely to be profitable for corn and soybean farmers." The IPR article examines how farmers may struggle to market crops despite potentially record-breaking yields. Hart told IPR "We do see some growth in some other markets [other than China], though. Mexico, Taiwan [are] up. It’s good to see the European Union up, as well. But the idea is with China sitting on the sidelines at least right now officially here, we have seen a fairly large drop in early sales."

 

Thursday, September 18, 2025

Farms.com quoted Professor Chad Hart in the article "Plan ahead for crop market risk protection," which examines the necessity of farmers having a risk management plan for the crop market. Hart said "At this time of year, the prices tend to be the lowest. You don’t want to do much now when it comes to pricing the crop. Have a strategy in place to take advantage of a pricing opportunity when it comes along.”

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Sunday, September 7, 2025

The Hill quoted Professor Chad Hart in the article "Trump plan to move USDA spurs brain drain fears," which details a Trump administration plan to remove thousands of agriculture employees from Washington, D.C. and relocate them to regional hubs. Hart told The Hill “Some of the issues these agencies are trying to address are national issues. Moving it from D.C. to Indianapolis doesn't necessarily make it easier for an Alabama cotton farmer to get a hold of--or someone who does aquaculture in Maine."

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Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Brownfield Ag News for the article "Grain flow disruptions expected at harvest," which examines the effects of an exceptionally large US grain harvest. Hart said "We’re trying to push 1.4 billion bushels more through the system than we’ve ever had to. Things will have to work as optimally as possible to handle the increase in production.”

 

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Morning Ag Clips discussed an Ag Decision Maker article by Professor Chad Hart in their article "Resources Available for Producers to Navigate Record Crops, Low Prices, Cattle Market Challenges."

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Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Iowa News Now for the article "High demand, low cattle counts: Record-high beef prices impacting farmers and consumers," which examines the market effects of higher beef prices and smaller herd numbers. Hart said "When a drought hits cattle producers over multiple years, that dries out the grasslands, forces cattle producers to shrink their herds to match the grass they have left to feed. That has put some long-term consolidation into the cattle market. So we're looking at the smallest cattle herd we've had in about 80 years. It's a combination of short supply and big demand that leads you to record prices for beef."

 

Thursday, August 14, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the WHO article "Record Corn Forecast For Midwest Farmers," which details how a predicted record corn crop this year will affect US corn prices. Hart said "We're looking at not only a record corn yield but corn production nationwide. It's not just a record by a little. It's a record by a lot."

Professor Hart also offered other comments on how the projected record-breaking corn crop would affect US farmers to several other publications:

 

Monday, August 11, 2025

Professor John Winters was quoted in the Wallet Hub article "Best Places to Live in 2025."  The article examines several factors related to what makes a somewhere a good place to live and how to assess what factors are important to you. Winters said that "Family connections, job opportunities, housing costs, recreational amenities, public services, and other quality of life aspects are all important.  Before taking the plunge, do some research and visit the place, ideally at least twice.  While there, talk to people about what they like and don’t like about the place."

 

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the Storm Lake Times Pilot article "Tyson’s pork sector rallies and prepared food soars," which details recent growth in Tyson's prepared food revenue. When speaking about how tariffs have affected the situation, Hart said "Tariffs aren’t wholly good or wholly bad. There are some benefits to accrue to some folks out there, but really you have to look at the balance of what’s happening within the market to figure that out."

 

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network for the article "Basis matters now, say Midwest ag economists." The article examines tight corn supplies in the market and corn futures prices. Hart said "I'm fascinated by, let's call it the strange trait that we are in. The idea is that we are continuing to see export pace on all crop look really good. Will that translate for us as we're looking for new crop? Because we're going to need that international boost to work through these larger crops we think we're bringing in this fall."

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Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Brownfield for the article "Bearish weather market," which examines how strong crop condition ratings are putting pressure on US commodity prices. Hart told Brownfield that "And typically [better condition ratings] means trendline yields or better, which means I’m looking at the possibility of a record corn crop and basically a soybean crop that’s just as big as last year’s crop despite planting several million acres less."

 

Monday, July 28, 2025

Professor Chad Hart spoke with Iowa Farm Bureau for the article "Record U.S. corn crop poses challenges," which examines how a record corn crop in 2025 could affect US farmers. Hart said “We’re looking at the potential this year’s corn crop coming in at record levels. In fact, not only a record, but a record by over 350 million bushels."

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Iowa Public Radio for the article "Will Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' help farmers in the Midwest and Great Plains? It depends," which examines the effects of the Trump administration's recently passed legislation on US farmers. Hart told IRP that "With food assistance basically under the chopping block here, that means less support for [specialty farmers] in the long run."

Professor Hart was also interviewed by Nebraska Public Radio for the article "Your food probably traveled a long way before reaching the grocery store. Here's why". The article examines how local grocery stores now stock fruits and vegetables from around the world. Hart told NPR "When you look at the grocery store shelves, it’s a combination of what we can grow and what we can trade for, but ultimately, it comes back to what U.S. consumers want."

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Friday, July 25, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the Brownfield Ag News article "EU threatens trade retaliation," which details a possible European Union tariff retaliation plan. Hart told Brownfield "Because what we saw the EU do back then was they picked their targets for tariffs based not necessarily on the economics of where they could (inflict) the most pain, but they were looking for where they could put the most political pressure on."

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Thursday, July 24, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the KWQC article "Coke’s move to cane sugar: What it means for farmers and shoppers in the Quad-Cities," which examines the Trump administration's effort to influence Coke to use cane sugar instead of corn syrup in its products. Hart told KWQC "They’re testing to see consumers will pay for that price difference. What they find is consumers will not. And then you see that specialty line disappear after that."

Professor Hart was also quoted in the Associated Press story "Trump's USDA to scatter half its Washington staff to field offices. Critics see a ploy to cut jobs," which examines the Trump administration's efforts to reorganize the US Department of Agriculture. Hart told the AP that the agricultural community is concerned about a "bumpy transition" similar to that of the first Trump administration.

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Professor David Peters was interviewed on River to River on Iowa Public Radio. Peters was interviewed for the episode "Postal workers union asks Iowans to oppose U.S. Postal Service privatization."


Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Brownfield Ag News for the story "Ag economist: wait and see grain marketing approach can work," which examines how a wait-and-see approach can work for marketing grains in the United States. Hart said that "[I]t is better to be more aggressive, but to give yourself opportunities to capture any price growth that could happen. Oftentimes that’s using stuff like options, that give you upside potential, but limit your downside risk."

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Monday, July 21, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by We Are Iowa for the article "'Kind of our heart and soul': Iowa farmers push back on Coca-Cola's potential sugar switch." The story focuses on the Trump administration's announcement that Coke would switch to using cane sugar instead of corn syrup. Hart said "To sort of pull the rug out of corn sweeteners right now is going to create a more significant downturn in pricing. As you look over the past couple of years, corn prices have fallen about 30 to 40%, and so you're just adding on top of those losses by seeing a setback here."

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Friday, July 11, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Successful Farming for the article "Iowa Farmers, Ag Economists Express Concern Over Trade Policy’s Long-Term Impacts," which examines how the Trump administration's trade policies may impact the US agricultural economy. Hart said "I hate to say it, but it’s probably time to cut bait here and move that [2024] crop along, even though prices have actually stepped back now. There’s not enough time left before harvest comes in."

Hart was also quoted in the Iowa News Now article "Iowa coffee shop owner worries about potential impact of Trump’s proposed Brazil tariffs," which specifically focuses on the proposed 50% tariff on all imports from Brazil. Hart told Iowa News Now "[the 50% tariff on Brazil] is not anywhere close to the typical usage of a tariff on a country. And like I said, it's different than all the other tariffs that President Trump has talked about during this administration. He has a very specific item that he's looking to change, but trade policy has never been really the mechanism to try to get something like that done in the past."

 

Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Professor John Winters authored the article "Higher ed’s relationship with marriage? It’s complicated – and depends on age" for The Conversation. In the article, he examines the relationship between higher education and marriage in the United States. Winters describes a causal, but nuanced, link between education and marriage.

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Sunday, July  6, 2025

Professor David Peters was interviewed by the Iowa Capital Dispatch for the story "Iowa State University researchers find legal deserts across U.S.," which examines the large number of counties in the United States in which there are no businesses offering legal services. Peters said "Not having enough lawyers puts rural people at a disadvantage because the legal system only really works if you have a lawyer that can either assert your rights or (provide) a mechanism to seek redress."

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Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Professors Chad Hart and Peter Orazem were interviewed by PBS Iowa for an episode of Iowa Press that focuses on the economy. Orazem said "Well, Iowa has not been doing particularly well compared to the rest of the U.S. For many years. So, we started growing more slowly than the U.S. in 2018. And if you go back to the start of the pandemic, we've actually not added any jobs. So, I don't think Iowa has been doing particularly well, not just in the last quarter, but for the last seven years." Hart said "Well, the ag sector took a step back actually a couple of years ago. And I would say we're still feeling the ramifications of that."

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Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Northwest Iowa Review for the article "Farm Bill stalled with no signs of progress," which examines the current status of the US Farm Bill. Hart said :Given the lack of progress and the time of year, it is unlikely we will get a new Farm Bill. However, we may see a few modifications of current programs — for example, increases in reference prices."


Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed for an episode of NPR's All Things Considered that focuses on Great Plains farmers switching to less water-intensive crops as the underground aquifer runs out of water. Hart told NPR "You have to be willing to accept more risk to establish that alternative crop because there aren't these built-in mechanisms that we usually have."

 

Monday, June 30, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the Northwest Iowa Review article "Farms need immigrant labor — how would crackdown impact them?" which covers how changes in immigration policy could affect the labor market in Iowa. Hart said "If the immigration shift pulls many employees from [meat] processing, then ag supplies back up in the supply chain, driving down prices captured at the farm. At the same time, consumers would see higher prices, as fewer processed goods would make it to store shelves."

 

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Investigate Midwest for the article "Why Trump’s second trade war could be worse for US farmers," which examines the effects of the Trump administrations tariffs on the US agricultural economy. Hart said "Loan repayment has dropped. A lot of this action is due to just the general decline in crop income over the past couple of years, which started before the trade fight."

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Sunday, June 22, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the Gazette article "Fertilizer sales rose in 2024, but researchers say farmers are getting more efficient," which examines rising fertilizer sales in Iowa. Hart told the Gazette "The more nitrogen or more you fertilize, the higher the potential yield is. But there is a plateau point out there where, nope, you're doing that, and once you exceed that point, then you can put all the fertilizer you want out there, and it's actually going to hurt yields, as opposed to help yields."

 

Friday, June 20, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed for the Successful Farming article "Two Months Into Pause on Tariffs, Economist Says Ag Still ‘Treading Water’," which examines the effects of recent tariffs on the US agricultural economy. Hart said "When you look at what’s been happening within the trade sphere, I would argue those trends from two months ago are still still going on right now. For example, when I look at the crop markets, for the most part exports have been doing actually really well, especially at a nontraditional time of year for us to have strong exports."

 

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the KJAN article "Despite tariff challenges, corn exports well above average through early June." The article examines how the Trump administration's tariffs are affecting US corn exports. Hart told KAJN "The only big market where US corn really isn’t moving is the Chinese market. Almost everywhere else we’ve seen fairly sizable gains in sales and that holds when we look at soybeans as well."

 

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by KCRG for the story "Study shows before and after of tariffs, business owners adjusting," which examines the impact of the Trump administration's tariffs. Hart told KCRG “If we’re targeting a specific country or a specific commodity, we’re targeting that pain where you need to see the change. Where we’re seeing a blanket tariff across the entire globe, it’s hard to tell what change you’re trying to effect.”

Professor Hart was also interviewed by KMALand for the story  "Full extent of effects of tariffs on ag economy is still unknown," which also examines the effects of tariffs on the US agricultural economy. Hart said "What we found is if you compare April of 2024 to April of 2025, there's been about a $68 million increase in tariffs being paid by Iowan consumers as we bring products into Iowa."

 

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Iowa Public Radio for the article "U.S. pork exports down in 2025," which examines current trends in US pork exports. Hart told Iowa Public Radio that "While China’s a major market that is significantly down, we’re fewer sales into Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia. We’re seeing losses sort of across the board."

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Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network article "Farm transitions are becoming increasingly challenging," which details trends in farm transitions. Hart said "I think the challenge of taking over is that it's a liability. To get started in row crop farming these days requires a large amount of capital and that is challenging for young farmers to gather early in their career, so you see this slower transition today than in generations past in order to get that next generation up and going on the farm."

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Monday, June 9, 2025

Dr. Rabail Chandio was interviewed for the Iowa Farm Bureau podcast "The Spokesman Speaks," on which she discussed recent trends in Iowa farmland values. Chandio told IFB that "This year, after five consecutive increases, was the first time we saw the first time we saw a decline in land values—land values fell by 3.1% this year."

 

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network article "Quick start to planting season unlikely to impact May WASDE", which examines if farmer's early start to planting this year will affect USDA's May World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE) report. Hart told IARN that he doesn't think USDA will change supply side numbers, but they will probably change demand numbers. "I do believe we'll see that export number come down, the question is, how much?"

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Friday, April 25, 2025

Assistant Professor Rabail Chandio was quoted in the Marketplace article "Farm bankruptcies are on the rise," which details the reasons behind a recent increase in farm bankruptcies. Chandio told Marketplace that if all the Trump Administration's proposed tariffs go through, “that negative pressure is just going to intensify.” 

 

Friday, April 18, 2025

Assistant Professor Rabail Chandio was interviewed by Iowa Farmer Today for two articles. The first, "Land values level off as farm incomes drop," examines how current farm income is affecting farmland values. Chandio said that “The downward pressures on land values are largely attributable to persistently high interest rates over the last couple of years, lower commodity prices, increasing input prices and weather uncertainty.” The second, "Iowa State economist describes push and pull on land values" further examines factors affecting the US farmland market. In that article, Chandio told Iowa Farmer Today "In places like the Midwest, the income from land is most often driven by commodity prices, yields, input costs and government support, among others. When those factors are strong and positively contribute to farm income, land values tend to hold steady or rise. The record-high land values during the pandemic were directly a result of very strong farm incomes."

 

Thursday, April 17, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the Successful Farming article "Ag Economist Explains Why U.S. Farmers Are Caught in Crossfire of Tariff Uncertainty". Hart told Successful Farming that “You could argue [the current lack of clarity] goes back months. If we think about President Trump’s trade policy so far during the second term, he has consistently talked about tariffs. So we knew in general what was coming. The chaos comes with looking for the details within that plan.”

 

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Iowa News Now for the article "Tariffs shift, stocks surge — but bond market flashes economic warning", which focuses on stock market reactions after the Trump Administration temporarily paused import tariffs. Hart said that “If you have global investors around the world worried that the U.S. might slip into recession, that tends to cause the bond market to move the way it did here."

 

Monday, March 31, 2025

Professor John Crespi was interviewed about a recent study in which he was involved that used fMRI machines to determine if food purchasing decisions can reveal your political affiliation. CARD issued a press release about the study, "Can grocery purchases help you spot a Republican or a Democrat? Yes, if you have a brain scanner." in which Crespi said "[Y]ou cannot tell whether someone is a Democrat or a Republican when you see them buy free-range eggs, but if you were to examine their brain activity, you would see that they are using different parts of their brains in that decision. The brain activity predicts the party, not the purchase.”

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Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Brownfield Ag News for the article "Tariffs heighten need for markets beyond international trade,"  which details how US farmers may need to pursue new trade markets beyond international trade due to tariffs. Hart told Brownfield "Trying to see how our markets do adjust to when these tariffs hit, and sort of do you have other avenues for growth beyond international trade.”

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Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Professor Chad Hart spoke with Brownfield Ag News for the article "Brazil on track for record soybean crop," which details what US  farmers can expect from Brazil's 2025 soybean harvest. Hart said "Brazil and Argentina are sitting on the outside and basically they can benefit from some of the uncertainty that’s being created today. Because when you think about those lost sales we might have because of tariffs, you’ve got to think 'what countries are picking up those sales?'"

 

Tuesday,  March 18, 2025
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed on the most recent edition of AgriTalk. While discussing the announced $10 billion in assistance through the American Economic Relief Act, Hart said "We do know that  they are going to try to tie [relief payments for farmers] to the drop in revenue over the last couple years. Basically, they are going to base it on planted acres from last year."


Monday, March 17, 2025
Professor Dermot Hayes was quoted in the Business Record article "Local economists weigh in on potential effects of tariffs on Iowa agriculture."  The article examines how recent tariffs may affect Iowa's agriculture sector. Hayes told Business Record "We will face retaliatory duties on corn, soybeans, ethanol, pork and beef. We will have to discount these commodities relative to our competitors by an amount equal to the duty."
 

Tuesday March 11, 2025

"Iowa's agriculture industry bracing for impact of Trump's tariffs"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Yahoo News for the article "Iowa agriculture industry bracing for impact of Trump's tariffs," which examines the possible repercussions of President Trump's tariffs on Iowa's farmers. Hart told Yahoo that the immediate impact might be on steel imports from Canada. "As we look at Canada and we’re seeing a lot of discussion around those steel and aluminum tariffs, which won’t impact agriculture. They will potentially increase the cost of a lot of machinery that we can purchase because we do tend to bring a lot of steel and aluminum from Canada."

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Thursday, March 6, 2025

"Potential trade war looms over Iowa’s agriculture industry"
Professors David Peters and Chad Hart were quoted in the Iowa State Daily article "Potential trade war looms over Iowa’s agriculture industry." The article examines potential tensions between the United States and its trade partners. Hart told the Daily that "Tariffs are just one piece of a larger puzzle. The real challenge is how both the U.S. and China will respond to each other’s moves." Peters said "The biggest issue right now is uncertainty. Markets are reacting to the possibility of tariffs, which is already driving up input costs and putting pressure on farmers’ bottom lines." 

 

Thursday, March 6, 2025

"Experts say tariffs will hurt Iowa farmers; Trump says it'll be an 'adjustment period'"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by KTVO for the article "Experts say tariffs will hurt Iowa farmers; Trump says it'll be an 'adjustment period'," which details the effects of the Trump Administration's recent tariffs. Hart told KTVO "China putting a 10% tariff on soybeans, a 15% tariff on corn--that’s forcing those products to cost 10-15% more than they used to. That means Chinese buyers will buy less from us. Since they’re buying less from us, that’s going to put downward pressure on prices here in the U.S. for corn and soybeans. And that’s how it hurts producers."

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Wednesday March 5, 2025

"Trump’s reciprocal tariffs expected to hurt Iowa farmers"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by MSN for the article "Trump’s reciprocal tariffs expected to hurt Iowa farmers," which explores some possible ramifications of President Trump's tariffs. Hart told MSN that he suggested  looking back at Trump's first term to see how the tariffs could hurt farmers. "What we saw was that agriculture suffered economic damage,” Hart said. “In fact, back then President Trump provided economic assistance to agriculture to help offset those losses."

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Tuesday, March 4, 2025

"With tariffs imposed, Trump urges farmers to 'have fun' selling their products domestically"
Professor Chad Hart spoke with The Des Moines Register for the article "With tariffs imposed, Trump urges farmers to 'have fun' selling their products domestically," which details the Trump Administration's propose tariffs. Hart said that the tariffs are basic supply and demand. "If the product can't be exported because of tariffs, those supplies will back up on the domestic market, which will drive down prices."

 

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

"Midwestern field trials suggest overuse of rootworm-resistant corn reduces farmers’ profits"
Professor David Hennessy was interviewed by AgroPages-Midwest for the article "Midwestern field trials suggest overuse of rootworm-resistant corn reduces farmers’ profits," which examines farmers possibly losing profits from overusing genetically engineered corn. Hennessy told AgroPages "Overusing Bt may make sense for each individual, but all will eventually lose the technology sooner than might have been the case. Essentially, each individual does not take account of the harm done to others due to the buildup of genetic resistance to the toxin."

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Thursday, February 27, 2025

"Des Moines metro homebuilders worry steel, aluminum tariffs will smother sales recovery"
Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the Des Moines Register article "Des Moines metro homebuilders worry steel, aluminum tariffs will smother sales recovery," which examines some effects of President Trump's tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Hart told the Register that the impacts from Trump's 2017 and 2018 tariffs were minimal. "We need to wait and see how other countries respond to the tariffs. Their responses will shape any additional feedback loops to the Iowa economy."

 

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

"American farmers to plant more corn, seeking best chance at profits"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Reuters for the article "American farmers to plant more corn, seeking best chance at profits," which examines US farmers' crop plans this spring. Hart told Reuters "Right now, given what cost structures look like, corn has the best pathway to make a little profit in 2025."

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Wednesday, February 26, 2025

"Egg prices to increase by more than 40% in 2025, according to USDA report"
Professor Chad Hart was quoted in the MSN article "Egg prices to increase by more than 40% in 2025, according to USDA report." The article examines a recent USDA report that estimates the price of eggs will increase in 2025. In regards to egg prices, Hart told MSN that "[bird flu] will remain the problem over the next few months."

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Thursday, October 17, 2024

"Co-op helps family hog farm gain independence and security"
Professor Lee Schulz was quoted in the Farm Progress article "Co-op helps family hog farm gain independence and security." The article focuses on a swine farm using a new production model. Schulz said "All types [of swine operations] certainly have important roles in the pork industry, and it’s important that they’re responding to their customers and overall pork consumers in providing a consistent supply of high-quality pork at competitive prices."

 

Saturday, October 12, 2024

"A Fading Farm Town Seeks Salvation in an Unlikely Spot--The Local Bar"
Professor David Peters was interviewed by Wall Street Journal for the article "A Fading Farm Town Seeks Salvation in an Unlikely Spot--The Local Bar," which examines the ongoing struggles of small US towns. Peters told Wall Street Journal that "For these towns to survive, it really hinges on people coming together to find creative solutions."

 

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

"Yes, the Farmland Market is Shifting, But That Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Prices Are Falling"
Assistant Professor Rabail Chandio was quoted in the AgWeb article "Yes, the Farmland Market is Shifting, But That Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Prices Are Falling." The article examines factors that are impacting US farmland prices. Chandio said that "As we are coming out of the pandemic highs with high government payments no longer there, with high farm income no longer supporting the land value, the market began to soften in 2023. What we’ve already experienced is a whole year of softening and then maybe slight falling of land values in certain parts of the of the state as well."

 

Saturday, September 21, 2024

US Farm Report 09/21/2024
Assistant Professor Rabail Chandio and Associate Professor Bobby Martens were interviewed on the latest episode of Farm Journal's US Farm Report. When questioned about the logistics of the upcoming US crop harvest, Martens said "A big crop coming through. The whole logistics system--meaning the inventory piece of it and the transportation piece of it--is going to be full, it's going to be stressed. We expect to be able to manage it, but we'll be managing it in different ways, especially with the carryover that we have, we already have some storage being used." Asked if Iowa's land market is softening, Chandio said "Definitely. As we are coming out of the pandemic highs--with the high government payments no longer there, with the high farm incomes no longer supporting the land value--the market already began to soften in 2023. So we've already experienced a full year of softening and maybe slight falling of land values in certain parts of the state as well."

 

Thursday, September 19, 2024

"Bird flu outbreaks made egg prices more expensive. Here's what to know"
Professor Lee Schulz was quoted by Iowa Public Radio in the article "Bird flu outbreaks made egg prices more expensive. Here's what to know." The story examines how avian influenza has played a role in the price of eggs, which recently peaked at $3.30/dozen wholesale. Schulz said "The cost of doing business, transportation, wages, energy, all those things are much higher than the last decade. And so that has added to the price of eggs."
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Friday, September 13, 2024

"4 ways to seize the moment in the cattle market"
Farm Progress featured information from Lee Schulz's presentation at the 2024 Husker Harvest Days in the article "4 ways to seize the moment in the cattle market." Schulz told the audience that current replacement prices for heifers are good. "So, if I have the resources to do it, I think this is an opportunity to retain my own calves, or to go buy open heifers or bred heifers on the market," he said.

 

Thursday, September 12, 2024

"USDA makes minor changes to crop production estimates"
Professor Chad Hart was quoted by FarmWeek Now in the article "USDA makes minor changes to crop production estimates," which details changes to USDA's September crop production report. Hart told FarmWeek Now that "As we sit here about an hour after the report, corn is down 2 to 2.5 cents looking across the December through May contracts. Soybeans are up 6.5 to 7.5 cents as we look out over that same period of time."

 

Monday, September 9, 2024

"Is the farm economy in a recession?"
Assistant Professor Rabail Chandio was quoted in the Marketplace article "Is the farm economy in a recession?" The article examines current farmer sentiment toward the farm economy. Chandio told Marketplace that she does not think the farm economy is in a recession. "This is routine for ag to go through cycles.[Record-high farm incomes from the past few years] will get us through this downward trend that we’re experiencing right now."
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Thursday, September 5, 2024

"Iowa, U.S. farm income decline isn't as steep as initially projected, USDA forecast shows"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by the Des Moines Register. In the article "Iowa, U.S. farm income decline isn't as steep as initially projected, USDA forecast shows," which focuses on farm income, Hart told the Register that "Things are getting better ... but they're (producers) still not in good shape."
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Saturday, August 17, 2024

"Farmland Owners Are More Local Than Many Think"
Professor J. Arbuckle was quoted in the article "Farmland Owners Are More Local Than Many Think" on KAHM 103.1. The article focuses on results of the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, which shows that shows that most farmland owners live close to their land. "Landlords are not necessarily as distant and disengaged as people sometimes assume. They have social ties to their land and their tenants; a pretty substantial majority of tenants categorize their landlord as either a relative or a friend of the family," Arbuckle said.

 

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

"Forecast: Despite fewer acres planted, Iowa farmers will harvest third-largest corn crop"
Professor Chad Hart spoke with Iowa City Press-Citizen for the article "Forecast: Despite fewer acres planted, Iowa farmers will harvest third-largest corn crop." The story focuses on Iowa's projected corn crop for 2024, which is estimated to be the third-largest in state history despite farmers planting 200,000 fewer acres of corn. Hart said "Some areas got hit hard, with individuals suffering devastating losses. But there are just an incredible number of good-looking crops almost everywhere you go. … Some folks say they’re looking at the best crops of their lives."

 

Friday, August 9, 2024

"Preparing for not-so-great Corn and Soy Returns"
Brownfield Ag News spoke with Professor Chad Hart for the article "Preparing for not-so-great Corn and Soy Returns." The article examines rising input costs and falling commodity prices. Hart said that "The key here is to remember what we’ve done in the past. Oftentimes, it holds the recipe for how you get through this. Whether it’s fertilizer or seed, any input costs you’ll need to put pencil to paper and figure out where to squeeze costs."

 

Friday, August 9, 2024

"Have an Old Crop Exit Strategy"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Brownfield Ag News for the article "Have an Old Crop Exit Strategy," which examines how farmers should handle old crop before harvest. Hart told Brownfield "I talked to about 50 or 60 farmers this week and was amazed how many of them still have some crop in storage on the farm right now. I was like, guys, you just watched prices drop by $1 on the corn side and about $2 on the soybean side in the last year. When will we make that move?"

 

Thursday, August 8, 2024

"Concerns grow on used cooking oil imports"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Storm Lake Times Pilot. In the article "Concerns grow on used cooking oil imports," Hart said that "Over the past couple of years, we have seen a lot of, especially Chinese, used cooking oil coming into the U.S market to be used for biofuel development." So it represents a challenge not only to the ethanol plants, but more specifically and directly, things like the soybean crushing facilities."

 

Monday, August 5, 2024

"K-State Agriculture Today: 1739 – Cattle Market Outlook…Crop Predictions"
Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by K-State Radio for a recent edition of Agriculture Today. Schulz provided a cattle market update, in which he told K-State that "[...] Marketing cattle, were seeing very volatile returns---2024 is maybe break-even, 2025 looks a bit worse right now. But, historically, you can't really lock in profits."

 

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

"Old Crop Storage: How will farmers handle the rally that may never come?"
RFD-TV interviewed Professor Chad Hart for a recent article. Hart was quoted in the story "Old Crop Storage: How will farmers handle the rally that may never come?" The story examines how the amount of crop currently in storage in the US could affect prices at the upcoming harvest. Hart said "We still have more old-crop corn than I am comfortable with here. And yeah, that crop has to hit the marketplace here over the next month, month and a half, to prepare for the full harvest that’s in coming here. And so I do see, you know, any potential rallies that may come up here over the next month, month and a half, are going to be met by that wave of corn clearing out of the bins, therefore blunting that potential price movement we could see."

 

Monday, July 29, 2024

"Grocery prices not expected to rise following Iowa disasters"
The Messenger interviewed Professor Chad Hart for the article "Grocery prices not expected to rise following Iowa disasters." The article examines if recent natural disasters in Iowa will affect consumer prices at the grocery store. Hart told The Messenger "When you think about the flooding, the hail damage, the loss of animals that we’ve seen thus far, while it’s big on a local and regional scale, it really won’t affect national production. Unless it truly affects national production, it doesn’t have an impact on crop prices."

 

Thursday, July 25, 2024

"John Deere Responds to Economy, Prepares for Future With Layoffs"
Professor Chad Hart was recently interviewed by Progressive Farmer. Hart was quoted in the article "John Deere Responds to Economy, Prepares for Future With Layoffs," which examines recent layoffs at the John Deere company. Hart said that "As Deere looks at this right now, they are seeing two things. One is based upon what they are seeing in their economic condition. The other is, as they look at their business is 'how do we want to reshape ourselves to take better advantage of future opportunities.' I think that's why we are seeing these deeper cuts into the salaried positions, [in effect] resculpting Deere corporate to remold [themselves] to take better advantage when things improve."

 

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

"With thousands of Iowa jobs already cut, how deep will the farm downturn will go?"
The Des Moines Register interviewed Professor Chad Hart for the article "With thousands of Iowa jobs already cut, how deep will the farm downturn will go?" Hart said "We're early on in the process, but what I see right now doesn’t point to this downturn looking to be as deep," though he also said "there’s a lot of uncertainty.”

 

Monday, July 22, 2024

"After hitting record highs, farmland prices expected to drop in 2024"
Assistant Professor Rabail Chandio was recently interviewed by Iowa Public Radio. Chandio spoke with IPR for the article "After hitting record highs, farmland prices expected to drop in 2024." The article focuses on Iowa's farmland prices, which are expected to drop this year after rising for several years. Chandio said that high interest rates and commodity prices will drive land values down. “We expect crop prices to be slightly lower. We expect yields to be very high, but our demand is not there to accommodate all that great production that we’re expecting for this crop year,” she said.

 

Friday, July 19, 2024

"In the wake of pork plant closures, some producers take on extra costs"
Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Iowa Public Radio for the article "In the wake of pork plant closures, some producers take on extra costs." The story examines how pork plant closures in California, Minnesota, and Iowa have affected pork producers. Schulz told IPR that transportation costs are often part of the formula used in marketing contracts between producers and pork packers, and that until those contracts are renegotiated, producers may have to pay the higher transportation costs.

 

Friday, July 5, 2024

"Inside Iowa Politics: Ag Industry cuts"
Professor Chad Hart appeared on an episode of Inside Iowa Politics that focuses on recent cuts in the agriculture industry.

 

Thursday, July 4, 2024

"Brazil: a growing threat to U.S. exports"
Assistant Professor Guilherme DePaula was interviewed by Successful Farming for the article "Brazil: a growing threat to U.S. exports," which examines Brazil's growing share of soybean exports on the world market. DePaula said "It’s easy to think about [the soybean boom] as a Brazilian story. But if you dig deep, it’s as much a U.S. story as a Brazilian story, because the boom happened when the trading companies jumped in."
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Monday, July 1, 2024

"John Deere layoffs continue as over 800 jobs are cut in Iowa, Illinois"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by The Des Moines Register about recent layoffs at the John Deere company. Hart's comments appear in the article "John Deere layoffs continue as over 800 jobs are cut in Iowa, Illinois." Hart said that they layoffs signify the company "is reorganizing to gain labor cost efficiencies.”
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Friday, June 21, 2024

"USDA acreage report could include bearish revisions"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Brownfield Ag News for the article "USDA acreage report could include bearish revisions," which details possible content of USDA's upcoming acreage report. Hart said that "To me, the big question coming out of the March prospective plantings report was that 6 million acres that sort of fell out of principal crop production. I think we will see some of that come back in."
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Thursday, June 20, 2024

"Bird Flu Outbreak: Why Experts Say Egg Prices Could Skyrocket"
Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Newsweek for the article "Bird Flu Outbreak: Why Experts Say Egg Prices Could Skyrocket." The story examines the recent avian influenza outbreak in the US and how that might affect consumer egg prices. Schulz said "In the short term, the industry can adjust. So when you look at a typical month, we eat about 86 to 88% of the eggs that are laid. The other roughly 12 to 14% go back into replacing laying hens."
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Tuesday, June 18, 2024

"Cash rent rates for Iowa remain unchanged"
Associate Professor Alejandro Plastina was interviewed by Iowa Farmer Today for the article "Cash rent rates for Iowa remain unchanged," which focuses on average cash rents for farmland in Iowa. Plastina said that "Despite the increase in land values and farm operating costs, cash rents remained about the same as last year."

 

Monday, June 17, 2024

"Breaking down supply and demand"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Brownfield Ag News for the story "Breaking down supply and demand," which details the latest USDA WASDE report. Talking about soybean supply and demand numbers, Hart said that USDA held firm.

 

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

"Corn exports improve, soybeans lag"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Missouri Farmer Today for the article "Corn exports improve, soybeans lag," which examines trends in the latest USDA WASDE report. Hart said that "When you’re looking at the corn market, we are moving more bushels. The USDA ended up raising the export volume by 50 million bushels, and they raised the corn export outlook for the 2024 crop."

 

Thursday, May 23, 2024

"Is ‘Bidenomics’ to blame for higher gas prices?"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by KCRG-TV9 for the story "Is ‘Bidenomics’ to blame for higher gas prices?" Hart told KCRG that "We really wouldn’t see an impact on gas prices until we see electric vehicles making up a substantial percentage of the vehicles we see on the road today. And right now, roughly 1% of all the vehicles on the road today are electric."

 

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

"Experts offer insight on 2024 planting season"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Iowa Farmer Today for the article "Experts offer insight on 2024 planting season," which explorers some factors that could affect farmers in 2024. Hart said prices for corn and soybeans planted this spring are expected to drop for the second year. "We’re basically sitting where we should be, in the long run," he said. "Farming is a competitive industry. In competitive industries, your prices tend to be around your production costs."

 

Thursday, April 11, 2024

"Will egg prices go up amid more bird flu outbreaks?"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Marketplace for the article "Will egg prices go up amid more bird flu outbreaks?" The article focuses on recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and how it could affect the egg market. Schulz said that "Typically, 86-87.5% of the eggs produced within a month are consumed, and 12.5-14% of the eggs are hatched to add birds to the flock. For a short period of time, the industry could maintain supplies to consumers by retaining fewer eggs."

 

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

"Plant 2024 will be impacted by fertilizer prices, drought"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Iowa Farmer Today for the story "Plant 2024 will be impacted by fertilizer prices, drought". The article examines what factors may impact US crop plantings in 2024. In regards to fertilizer prices, Hart said "I’m watching to see if we see price pressure alleviated, or do I see that fertilizer prices are ramping up to indicate some late switching of acres into corn production given recent price movements and the surprise of the lower corn acres."

 

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

"Managing Crop Costs Instead of Cutting"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by KSOM for the story "Managing Crop Costs Instead of Cutting," which details ways that Iowa farmers are trying to reduce operating costs. Hart said that "Farmers over the last few years haven't used operating loans as much to avoid some of the interest charges that we face there. They've at utilizing more of their own labor as opposed to hired labor. For the most part what you're doing is trying to manage those costs to keep them within check."

 

Thursday, April 4, 2024

"2023 was tough for pig producers as costs outpaced profits. Will this year be better?"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by National Public Radio for the article "2023 was tough for pig producers as costs outpaced profits. Will this year be better?" The story focuses on the current costs associated with raising hogs. Schulz told NPR that he is anticipating a 10% decrease in production costs this year; and, he noted that “Producers are getting back close to break-even levels. I think we’ve seen packers improve their margins too.”
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Thursday, March 28, 2024

"SOLD! 230-acre Iowa century farm brings nearly $4 million at auction"
Assistant Professor Rabail Chandio was interviewed by Successful Farming for the article "SOLD! 230-acre Iowa century farm brings nearly $4 million at auction," which focuses on the sale of a Grundy County farm and the average cost of farmland in Iowa. Chandio told Successful Farming “I would say the land sale did not indicate any unusual demand and sold for pretty much a normal price for the region and reflects the current market assessment of the ag experts whose opinions are presented in the ISU Land Value Survey.”

 

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

"Northwest Iowa farmland sells for $29,600 per acre
Assistant Professor Rabail Chandio was interviewed by Successful Farming for the article "Northwest Iowa farmland sells for $29,600 per acre," which details the record-setting sale of Iowa farmland. Chandio told Successful Farming that the sale was likely a case of “a subset of farmers who have cash saved up from pandemic payments, or even before that, and their eye on a very specific tract.”

 

Friday, February 23, 2024

"ISU students get in-person look at in-flux soybean supply chains"
Associate Professor Bobby Martens was interviewed by Iowa State News Service for the article "ISU students get in-person look at in-flux soybean supply chains," which focuses on a group of Iowa State students that recently spent a week studying soybean supply chains in person. Martens said that “There’s a transformation coming in the soybean sector, and everyone is getting set up for it now. These students will have such a leg up in understanding the changes.”

 

Friday, February 23, 2024

"Economist: 2023 'would go down as the worst year for pork producers ever' in Iowa"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by WQAD for the story "Economist: 2023 'would go down as the worst year for pork producers ever' in Iowa." The article examines US hog producer's returns in 2023. Schulz told WQAD that "When you look at hog prices, actually 2023 were the seventh highest nominal hog prices ever," Schulz said. "But when you look at costs of production, it was historically high. To put it in perspective, it was over 50% increase from 2020. And so prices haven't adjusted enough to offset those much higher costs."

 

Friday, February 23, 2024

"Ag groups and lawmakers warn of a monopoly in the fertilizer industry with one plant's sale"
Professor Chad Hart spoke with Kansas Public Radio for the story "Ag groups and lawmakers warn of a monopoly in the fertilizer industry with one plant's sale," which details how the sale of OCI’s Iowa Fertilizer Company could impact the industry. Hart said that "[The FTC and DOJ] tend to look at any of the big mergers that we see within agriculture, just to, you know, sort of check, and say, 'Hey, we're going to look under the hood here and see if things are running like they're supposed to be running.'"
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Friday, February 9, 2024

"Iowa pork producers' losses worst in 25 years amid high costs and declining demand"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by The Des Moines Register for the article "Iowa pork producers' losses worst in 25 years amid high costs and declining demand," which focuses on US pork producers' returns for 2023. Schulz said that pork producer losses averaged $32 per hog last year. However, losses are forecast to shrink to $18 per head this year, is expected to be the worst two-year stretch since 1998 and 1999.
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  • hxxps://press-citizen.com/story/money/agriculture/2024/02/06/iowa-p…

 

Friday, February 9, 2024

"US Chicken Prices to Fall at Last Thanks to Green Fuel Boom"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Bloomberg for the story "US Chicken Prices to Fall at Last Thanks to Green Fuel Boom." The article examines how the green fuel industry can lead to lower meat prices for US consumers. Hart told Bloomberg that meat prices are also influenced by a number of factors including the availability of corn, and that more than half the cost of meat on the grocery store shelf occurs after the animal has left the farm.
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Friday, January 26, 2024

"Challenges Persist for Hog Industry in 2024 Despite Potential Improvements"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz spoke with Swineweb for the article "Challenges Persist for Hog Industry in 2024 Despite Potential Improvements." The article examines what the coming year may bring for US hog producers, after 2023 proved a challenging year. Schulz told Swineweb that he was leaning toward contraction in the national hog herd for 2024. He noted that the ongoing trend of breeding herd contraction may offer some market support.
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Friday, January 26, 2024

"Grower Level Concerns and Stories for 2024"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Southern Farm Network for the article "Grower Level Concerns and Stories for 2024." The story examines the factors that may impact farmers' bottom lines in 2024. Hart said that the income effect will have an impact on international markets. "Because especially on the meat side, what we do often see is that as income growth occurs in countries, there’s a definite shift in the proteins that they’re demanding in the way that they absorb those at the same time, too. We’re trying to figure out how to deal with the different cultural practices that they have. It’s all in managing and working with that consumer."

 

Friday, January 5, 2024

"Livestock Outlook: Livestock markets face mixed demand"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz spoke with Iowa Farmer Today for the story "Livestock Outlook: Livestock markets face mixed demand," which examines the multitude of factors that will affect livestock markets in 2024. Speaking about cattle markets, Schulz said "Cow-calf producers made some good money in 2023 so they may be looking to expand. The Western U.S. has seen better conditions, and it’s still very dry in much of the Midwest. That will likely temper expansion plans for many."

 

Friday, January 5, 2024

"USDA Hogs and Pigs Report: Is This a Defining Moment for the Pork Industry?"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Farm Journal for the story "USDA Hogs and Pigs Report: Is This a Defining Moment for the Pork Industry?" The article examines the implications of the December USDA Hogs and Pigs report. Schulz said that "Defining moments are often thought of as moments of truth, but in the throes of it, they’re usually a moment of uncertainty, not clarity. But, maybe now we’re starting to see some things come into focus in marketplace as we begin to see larger supply adjustments."

 

Friday, January 5, 2024

"Soybeans with momentum going into 2024"
Professor Chad Hart was spoke with Brownfield Ag News for the story "Soybeans with momentum going into 2024," which focuses on farmers shifting crop acreage from corn to soybeans. Hart indicated that the future's market is preparing for farmers to plant more soybeans, as is USDA in their crop projections, and that Iowa farmers he has spoken to have expressed their intent to grow more soybeans in 2024.
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  • hxxps://siouxcountyradio.com/brownfield-ag/soybeans-with-momentum-going…

 

Friday, January 5, 2024

"Iowa State Economist Sees Land Values Pulling Back in 2024"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Western Iowa Today for the story "Iowa State Economist Sees Land Values Pulling Back in 2024," which focuses on the slow down in land value growth shown in the 2023 Iowa Land Value Survey. Hart told Western Iowa Today that "[Land value is] still growing, but it's slowing down dramatically," and that he expects land values to pull back in 2024.

 

Friday, January 5, 2024

"Crop Outlook: Exports key over the next 18 months"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Missouri Farmer Today for the article "Crop Outlook: Exports key over the next 18 months." The story examines what crop margins may look like for farmers in 2024. Hart said "It’s an interesting time, as we’re looking out there I call it an adjustment sort of back to where profit margins usually are when we’re looking at agriculture."

 

Thursday, December 21, 2023

"Less optimistic 2024 ag economy outlook still contains silver linings"
Professor Chad Hart spoke with Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network for the article "Less optimistic 2024 ag economy outlook still contains silver linings," which examines the outlook for the US ag economy in 2024. Hart said "The idea is, I’m going to describe it as we’re returning to normal. When you think back to 2020, 2021, and 2022, we had some very strong years for the farm economy. And the idea is we couldn’t expect that to continue. We’ve seen our prices decline, we’re seeing things tighten up as far as profit margins are concerned, but for most commodities, I would argue we’re around breakeven, which I would argue is around normal."
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Thursday, December 21, 2023

"Good News for the U.S. Pork Industry: It Can’t Be Worse in 2024"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Farm Journal for the story "Good News for the U.S. Pork Industry: It Can’t Be Worse in 2024." The article focuses on the outlook for pork producers in 2024. Schulz told Farm Journal "Remember, the point of maximum financial opportunity is at a market bottom, when prices (or profits) are lowest. The point of maximum financial risk is at the market peak, when prices (or profits) are highest."

 

Thursday, December 21, 2023

"How much did extreme weather cost Iowa in 2023?"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by The Gazette for the article "How much did extreme weather cost Iowa in 2023?" which focuses on how extreme weather affected Iowa in 2023. Hart said "Tools like crop insurance are definitely capturing the impact as our climate is changing. [Planting dates are] being adjusted to reflect the changing climatic conditions that's around agriculture right now."

 

Monday, December 18, 2023

"Demand for Biofuels Could Boost Soybean Prices in 2024"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by ETF Trends for the article "Demand for Biofuels Could Boost Soybean Prices in 2024," which examines how the biofuels market could affect commodity prices in the near future. Hart said that "I would say the futures market is preparing for [US farmers to plant more soybeans], USDA and their projections. And every time I talk to farmers is that’s been the deal (to plant more soybeans).”

 

Monday, December 18, 2023

"US pork producers in 2023 are looking at their least profitable year on record"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Quartz for the story "US pork producers in 2023 are looking at their least profitable year on record." The article examines the effects of a recent dip in US pork sales. Schulz told Quartz that “Profitability as we look at 2023 and 2024 is going to be potentially the worst two-year stretch ever for pork producers."
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  • hxxps://m.dailyadvent.com/news/13a2b95e231212en_us

 

Monday, December 18, 2023

"'The Challenge Is Demand' In 2024"
Professor Chad Hart spoke with Mid-West Farm Report for the article "'The Challenge Is Demand' In 2024," which focuses on the challenges farmers may face when marketing crops in 2024. Hart said that "The challenge is demand. It’s trying to figure out how we’re going to utilize all of this corn throughout not only the nation, but the world. We tend to feed a lot, but we’ve seen some shrinkage in our cattle herd. When we look at the ethanol picture, well, that’s been hit and miss over the last few years. And the last piece tends to be our international markets, that’s where we’ve seen the biggest pull back."

 

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

"Curious Iowa: How are gas prices determined?"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by The Gazette for the story "Curious Iowa: How are gas prices determined?" which focuses on the factors that determine consumer gasoline prices. Hart told The Gazette that overseas conflicts can cause spikes in oil prices, and thus, gas prices. He added that attention is paid to “which oil producing countries are aligning with which countries and which will they continue to ship to through such a conflict."

 

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

"Iowa farmers concerned with e-data use by corporations"
Professor J. Arbuckle was interviewed by Public News Service for the article "Iowa farmers concerned with e-data use by corporations." The story examines farmers' feelings on precision agriculture, which heavily relies on the use of technology.
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Tuesday, November 14, 2023

"Livestock numbers help predict trade future"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Iowa Farmer Today for the story "Livestock numbers help predict trade future," which examines how the economy, international demand, and politics affect livestock trade.Schulz said that “One of the factors as of late has been the exchange rate. We have a stronger U.S. dollar, and we also have a strengthening peso which brings more trade from Mexico.” He also noted the tight U.S. beef supply could limit trade options.

 

Monday, November 13, 2023

"U.S. ag export demand an evolving puzzle"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Iowa Farmer Today for the story "U.S. ag export demand an evolving puzzle," which examines the volatile nature of US agricultural export demand. Hart said that “About every 5 to 10 years we get a changing of the guard for who the driver of growth is. In the last 10 to 15 years, China has been the one driving growth, but in the ’90s, a lot was driven by NAFTA with Canada and Mexico. We’ve done a lot with Japan and Europe as well.”

 

Monday, November 6, 2023

"Several factors go into farmland buying decisions"
Assistant Professor Rabail Chandio was interviewed by Ag Update for the article "Several factors go into farmland buying decisions," which examines the multitude of factors that should be considered when purchasing farmland. Chandio told Ag Update that, generally, cash rents and land values move in the same direction, and that survey results show the impact of higher interest. “Interest rate hikes were the most important factor farmers mentioned impacting the farmland market.”
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  • hxxps://agri-trends.com/business/several-factors-go-into-farmland-buyin…

 

Friday, November 3, 2023

"How Two Pig Farmers Are Winning People Over to Pork Now"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Farm Journal for the article "How Two Pig Farmers Are Winning People Over to Pork Now," which examines fluctuating demand in the US pork industry.Schulz told Farm Journal that “This is the worst annual year pork producers will ever have. We always talked about 1998 as the worst year ever, but 2023, collectively, will be worse than in 1998.”

 

Friday, November 3, 2023

"Report: Climate change making crop failures even more costly to insure"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by The Gazette for the story "Report: Climate change making crop failures even more costly to insure." The story focuses on a new report that the federal government is spending billions on crop failures caused by extreme weather and that amount could keep growing.Hart told The Gazette that “We spend a lot more on crop insurance these days than we ever did. They're showing more extremes there, and that's growing faster than the overall pace of crop insurance indemnities.”
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Friday, October 27, 2023

"More fall fertilizer use in Iowa could harm water quality"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by The Gazette for the story "More fall fertilizer use in Iowa could harm water quality." The story examines how Iowa farmers are applying more fertilizer in the spring than in the fall, which experts say is bad for water quality.Hart told The Gazette that "Farmers have been worried we've seen some wetter springs delaying chances for spring field work. If they are worried about that, they'll make that move (fertilizer application) in the fall."

 

Friday, September 29, 2023

"A looming government shutdown is delaying passage of a new Farm Bill. What that means for farmers, food prices."
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by The Gazette for the story "A looming government shutdown is delaying passage of a new Farm Bill. What that means for farmers, food prices." The article examines how a possible US government shutdown could affect passage of a new Farm Bill. Hart said that "The government shutdown possibility sucks all of the oxygen out of the room. So until that is taken care of, you really can’t make forward progress on any other piece of legislation, including a Farm Bill.”
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Friday, September 22, 2023

"Shift in grain acres could be on horizon"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Farm Progress for the story "Shift in grain acres could be on horizon," which examines the United States possibly shifting to more soybean acres in the future. Hart said that “The market will help figure things out. The advantage corn had when the ethanol market ramped up was, the acres could be pulled from wheat and cotton. Since prices have stayed level, we haven’t seen changes in those acres.”

 

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

"Report: Corn yields in Iowa forecast up from a year ago"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by The Messenger for the story "Report: Corn yields in Iowa forecast up from a year ago," which focuses yield predictions in the most recent US Department of Agriculture World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. Hart told The Messenger that “The USDA has moved the corn crop a bit in terms of yield based upon the dry conditions and the little bit of heat we got in later July. If we look back at what happened in 2020 through 2022, we were down in the lower 170s and we could get there for 2023.”

 

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

"The Overlooked Americans"
Professor David Peters was interviewed by National Public Radio for the podcast "Elizabeth Currid-Halkett on the ‘The Overlooked Americans’," which focuses on the 14% of US residents that live in rural areas.

 

Sunday, August 20, 2023

"Rural Iowa continues to lose population. How some small towns are working to ‘shrink smart’"
Professor David Peters was interviewed by The Gazette for the story "Rural Iowa continues to lose population. How some small towns are working to ‘shrink smart’," which focuses on how some small Iowa towns are continuing to thrive despite population loss. Peters told The Gazette that there is an immediate need to understand the impacts of COVID-19 in rural communities, especially in hard-hit meatpacking towns dominated by people of color. There also is a need to better understand how rural quality of life is maintained in the face of population loss, and how small towns can promote social integration between longtime residents and new people of color.

 

Friday, August 11, 2023

"Meat demand still strong after record highs"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Agriculture Trends for the story "Meat demand still strong after record highs," which examines recent trends in US meat demand. Schulz told Agriculture Trends that "We’re starting to see demand wane a bit compared to year-ago levels. But the good news is, in historical perspective, for beef and pork, demand remains strong. We’re seeing better demand than during the last recession we had.”

 

Friday, August 11, 2023

"Feed costs impacted by growth of renewable diesel industry"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Agriculture Trends for the story "Feed costs impacted by growth of renewable diesel industry," which focuses on how growth in the renewable diesel industry has affected feed costs for livestock producers.Schulz said that “Soybean meal and dried distillers grains have both risen by about 11% from a year earlier and complete feeds and other ingredients are up over 20%. Higher costs coupled with compressed hog prices continue to be detrimental to profitability.”

 

Friday, August 11, 2023

"Farmland costs rise, pricing young farmers out of the market as age of farmers increase"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Fox Business for the story "Farmland costs rise, pricing young farmers out of the market as age of farmers increase." The story examines the rising cost of US farmland, which is pricing some younger farmers out of the market. Hart told Fox that "When we're looking at farmland, maybe 1.5% to 2% of all farmland changes hands within a year. So, actually the supply of land is relatively small."

 

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

"Grain storage costs have soared. That puts Midwest elevators and co-ops in a tough spot."
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Marketplace for the article "Grain storage costs have soared. That puts Midwest elevators and co-ops in a tough spot," which focuses on how grain storage costs are affecting elevators and co-ops. Hart told Marketplace that “Most of your elevators, your co-ops, they’ve been through periods like this before. They can do some moves to help manage the financial risks that they face. Given the increased cost, it does mean that any misstep they might make financially has a bigger impact on their bottom line.”

 

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

"This Scorching Summer Is Taking a Toll on Your Favorite Foods"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Wired for the article "This Scorching Summer Is Taking a Toll on Your Favorite Foods," which details the effects widespread drought is having on global crops. Hart told Wired that “Corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice can be produced in a variety of latitudes. But fruits and vegetables are much more susceptible to weather issues driving significant price shifts.”
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Friday, August 4, 2023

"‘Not much appetite’ for hog expansion"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by SwineWeb for the story "‘Not much appetite’ for hog expansion," which focuses on hog industry expansion in the United States. Schulz told SwineWeb that producers who broke ground a year ago are now marketing pigs, and California’s Proposition 12 law is forcing other producers to make adjustments. “Right now, there is not much appetite for hog expansion,” he said.

 

Monday, July 31, 2023

"Gas prices spike 23 cents in Iowa as vacation season rolls on"
Professor Peter Orazem was interviewed by KTIV for the story "Gas prices spike 23 cents in Iowa as vacation season rolls on," which details a recent surge in gas prices in Iowa. Orazem told KTIV that some of the increase is due to increased consumer demand. “Another factor is that the dollar has been slipping in strength a little bit and oil prices worldwide are denominated in dollars, so as the dollar weakens, the price of gasoline is going to start to rise,” he said.

 

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

"How will the end of the Black Sea trade deal affect Iowa?"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Business Record for the story "How will the end of the Black Sea trade deal affect Iowa?" The story examines the end of the Black Sea trade deal and how that will impact US grain export demand.Hart told Business Record that one of the effects will be producers in North and South America feeling pressure to increase production to meet demand from countries that rely on Ukrainian grain.

 

Friday, July 21, 2023

"Grocery Prices Could Drop a Bit Thanks to Bumper Crops of Corn, Wheat, Soybean"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by The Messenger for the story "Grocery Prices Could Drop a Bit Thanks to Bumper Crops of Corn, Wheat, Soybean," which examines the possible effects of a record-high corn crop and increased soybeans and wheat yields.Hart told The Messenger that "A farmer is like any other businessman: when they see higher prices, they want to produce more.” However, he said the extra acreage put downward pressure on commodities.

 

Thursday, July 20, 2023

"A fifth of shoppers in livestock leader Iowa would consider lab-grown meat, survey shows"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by the Des Moines Register for the article "A fifth of shoppers in livestock leader Iowa would consider lab-grown meat, survey shows," which focuses on Iowan's willingness to purchase plant-based meat and milk products.Hart said that “I’d chalk it up to curiosity. If there’s a new product, everybody wants to try it.” However, he added that it does not indicate that consumers would consistently buy it.

 

Thursday, July 6, 2023

"Want to lower food inflation? Invest in ag research"
Professor David Peters was interviewed by Land O' Lakes for the story "Want to lower food inflation? Invest in ag research." The story examines how agricultural research can create benefits such as lowering food inflation. Peters said Scientists could also use genetic advances to make fruits and vegetables more robust to prevent spoilage or damage. And ag engineers could develop better storage so if there is a transportation delay, supply chain teams will be able to better preserve those foods.”

 

Thursday, June 29, 2023

"The cost of growth: Fertilizer companies cash in while farmers and communities struggle"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Investigate Midwest for the story "The cost of growth: Fertilizer companies cash in while farmers and communities struggle," which focuses on claims of market manipulation and concern over fertilizer industry consolidation. Hart said that "There were a myriad of reasons why we were seeing this big run-up in fertilizer prices. It’s not just one thing. It was literally a whole menu of things that were seemingly going in the wrong direction if you were looking to obtain fertilizer.”

 

Thursday, June 29, 2023

"Seasonality and exports pushing prices higher"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Brownfield Ag News for the story "Seasonality and exports pushing prices higher," which examines the volatility in the US cash hog market. Schulz told Brownfield that seasonal production is a large factor. “This is typically a time where you do see stronger prices as you get into summer with tighter supplies and tighter demand as you’re working through summer grilling and promoting pork to see strong demand.”
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Thursday, June 29, 2023

Hart interviewed about rural economics on Iowa Press
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed for an edition of the PBS show Iowa Press that focuses on the current condition of Iowa's rural economy. While discussing the currently dry conditions in Iowa, Hart told PBS that "[...]Arguably, the markets have already reacted to it. We've seen strong runups in corn and soybean prices over the past week, showing the concern that we have in the drought conditions not only here in Iowa but across the nation, especially as we look towards the Eastern Corn Belt. The challenge here is really that the drought we're seeing right now, while it doesn't look good, it's not necessarily impacting our agricultural production yet."

 

Friday, June 23, 2023

"California Announces Modifications to Prop 12 Implementation"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Brownfield for the story "California Announces Modifications to Prop 12 Implementation." The story focuses on recently announced modifications to California's Proposition 12, which will have impacts on Iowa's hog industry.Schulz told Brownfield “We know now that the CDFA will not enforce it till the end of the year. In their language, it’s really anything that is in production is going to be able to work through that supply chain.”
Also appears in:

  • hxxps://1430wcmy.com/2023/06/22/california-announces-modifications-to-p…
  • hxxps://kgfw.com/2023/06/22/california-announces-modifications-to-prop-…

 

Thursday, June 22, 2023

"How will economy, Iowa borrowers be affected by impending Supreme Court decision on student loan forgiveness?"
Professor Peter Orazem was interviewed by The Gazette for the story "How will economy, Iowa borrowers be affected by impending Supreme Court decision on student loan forgiveness?"The story focuses on how US student loan borrower will deal with payments and interest set to resume in October. Orazem told The Gazette “Assuming that they incorporated this into their planning they should be in a better position now to repay debts because there's all these payments that they didn't have to make. So that was sort of a net increase in their income. Now their income is going to return to what it would have been.”
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Thursday, June 22, 2023

"Pork producers deal with trying times"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Farm Progress for the story "Pork producers deal with trying times," which details how US hog production is facing low profitability and pressure form outside forces.Schulz told Farm Progress that “We have seen some of the highest receipts ever but have to take into consideration the increase in costs, and we really don’t see much on the positive side for pork production—2023 could potentially be the worst year ever for pork producers.”

 

Friday, June 16, 2023

"Bigger isn't always better for growing older in Iowa"
Professor David Peters was interviewed by Iowa Public Radio for the story "Bigger isn't always better for growing older in Iowa," which focuses on how small rural communities in Iowa can thrive. Peters told IPR that smart senior towns like Bancroft are able to identify high-priority projects, raise money locally without government assistance and find volunteers to execute the work in a timely manner.

 

Friday, June 16, 2023

"Walmart to Build Case-Ready Beef Plant"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Progressive Farmer for the story "Walmart to Build Case-Ready Beef Plant," which details Walmart's plans to develop and end-to-end supply chain strategy for consumer beef products. Schulz told Progressive Farmer that "It's a continuation of Walmart's strategy as they highlight to be end-to-end business operations in the beef supply chain." Schulz also noted that cost may be a factor for Walmart's plans as well---beef prices have increased about 15% in the last couple of years.
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Monday, June 12, 2023

"Renting Iowa farmland has reached a 10 year high"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by KCAU for the story "Renting Iowa farmland has reached a 10 year high," which focuses on the results of the recent Cash Rental Rates for Iowa 2023 Survey. The survey found that farmland cash rental rates hit a 10 year high. Hart told KCAU that “A lot of it is related to the higher corn and soybean prices we’ve experienced over the past couple of years. You combine that with some additional government support flowing into agriculture, especially after covid, all lending itself to agriculture continuing to reinvest in itself. And typically when we reinvest in land that means those land prices do tend to go higher.”

 

Monday, June 12, 2023

"Study: 80% Of Iowa Farmland Is Debt-Free"
Associate Professor Wendong Zhang was interviewed by WHO Radio about the results of the recent Iowa Farmland Ownership and Tenure Survey, which found that 80% of Iowa farmland is held without debt. Zhang told WHO that the amount of debt-free farmland is a fairly recent occurrence and due to recent high commodity prices and high farm payments, which have allowed many land owners to pay down debt.
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Friday, June 9, 2023

"Fertilizer Companies Cash in While Farmers and Communities Struggle"
Professor Chad Hart was interviewed by Modern Farmer for the article "Fertilizer Companies Cash in While Farmers and Communities Struggle," which examines claims of manipulation of the US fertilizer market. Hart told Modern Farmer that “There were a myriad of reasons why we were seeing this big run up in fertilizer prices. It’s not just one thing. It was literally a whole menu of things that were seemingly going in the wrong direction if you were looking to obtain fertilizer.”

 

Monday, May 22, 2023

"National Pork Board says “clock is ticking” if African swine fever reaches U.S."
Professor Dermot Hayes was interviewed by Brownfield Ag News for the article "National Pork Board says “clock is ticking” if African swine fever reaches U.S.," which examines what impacts an outbreak of African swine fever may have on the U.S. pork industry. Hayes said "We do not have agreements with other countries as to how they would respond, so a likely event is that we would lose access to export markets. And the question is how long we lose access."

 

Friday, May 19, 2023

"More Uncertainty for Pork Industry in a Very Uncertain Market"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Farm Journal for the story "More Uncertainty for Pork Industry in a Very Uncertain Market," which focuses on the repercussions from the Supreme Court's ruling on Proposition 12. Schulz said that "A lot of those exact cost estimates are yet to be determined. But what we know is this will result in a much higher cost to producers and those costs are going to vary throughout the different segments of the industry.”
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  • hxxps://agweb.com/news/livestock/pork/more-uncertainty-pork-industr…

 

Thursday, May 18, 2023

"Economists shedding light on pork industry market conditions"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network for the article "Economists shedding light on pork industry market conditions," which focuses on the difficulties some pork producers are facing as the cost of production is not balancing market prices. Schulz told IARN that “They’re realizing the fiscal policy, the monetary policy, those are all impacting producer profits. And that’s what producers are responding to, that’s what drives expansion and contractionary plans and execution by producers. And all of those factors I think are working towards the negative for producers.”

 

Thursday, May 18, 2023

"U.S. could lose $231B over 10 years if both ASF, FMD break"
Professor Dermot Hayes was interviewed by Beef Magazine for the article "U.S. could lose $231B over 10 years if both ASF, FMD break," which focuses on potential losses in the US pork and beef sectors from ASF and FMD outbreaks. Hayes told Beef that "Exports would be lost and some of the product that might have gone to China would be rendered, making it very useless or losing a lot of value. But a lot of the muscle meat would end up on the domestic market, flooding U.S. pork retail consumers to try and get them to compensate, to consume 25% or 30% more pork and that takes a huge drop in prices."

 

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

"After court ruling, California’s pig production rules to take effect July 1"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Radio Iowa for the article "After court ruling, California’s pig production rules to take effect July 1," which focuses on a Supreme Court ruling that allows California to require pork sold there to come from pigs raised in livestock barns with certain animal space requirements.
Schulz told Radio Iowa that “Pork producers are having some of the largest losses in 25 years. You have to go back to 1998 to see losses this large...We’re already seeing contraction in the industry.”

 

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

"US imports from Brazil continue"
Associate Professor Lee Schulz was interviewed by Tri-State Livestock News for the article "US imports from Brazil continue." The article focuses on USDA not banning beef imports from Brazil after Brazil reported cattle infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy. According to TSLN the exchange rate between countries often dictates the amount of products entering the United States. “During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Brazilian currency (Real) depreciated by 25 percent to 30 percent and it has not recovered. As a consequence, Brazilian prices expressed in U.S. dollars are lower than they would have been had the value of the Real not depreciated relative to the U.S. dollar,” Schulz said.

 

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

"Iowa Senate passes child labor law changes amid concerns"
Professor John Winters spoke with the Iowa State Daily for the article "Iowa Senate passes child labor law changes amid concerns." The story focuses on Iowa Senate File 542, which loosens Iowa's child labor laws. Winters told the Daily that "Obviously, we are in a market right now where labor is kind of scarce. Employers are having trouble finding employees to fill jobs, so it is reasonable to think, ‘Well, where can we look for new workers?’”

 

Friday, April 28, 2023

"Iowa farmers head to fields with record high production costs, lower corn, soybean prices"
Chad Hart was interviewed by the Des Moines Register for the story "Iowa farmers head to fields with record high production costs, lower corn, soybean prices," which focuses on challenges Iowa's farmers are facing during the planting season.Hart told the Des Moines Register that skyrocketing interest rates are helping drive a 20% hike in planting costs, along with higher seed, fertilizer, chemical and land costs.

 

Thursday, April 13, 2023

"Will farmers increase corn and soybean acres?"
Chad Hart was interviewed by Agweek for the article "Will farmers increase corn and soybean acres?," which analyzes the USDA's 2023 Planting Intentions Survey. Hart told Agweek that "We’re dealing with snowpack and cool and wet conditions, and it will be awhile before folks along the northern tier can plant."

 

Monday, April 3, 2023

"Energy projects boost land values"
Associate Professor Wendong Zhang was interviewed by Iowa Farmer today for the story "Energy projects boost land values," which examines how adding energy projects to agricultural land may boost the land value. Zhang told Iowa Farmer Today that landowners need to understand what they are getting into when they enter into land use agreements. “It’s best to have really good legal advice so that you really kind of know or can identify the pitfalls. There are a lot of attorneys who specialize in the area of solar and wind, so that’s one thing we’d recommend.”

 

Monday, April 3, 2023

"Price Spread Between Choice and Select Beef"
Lee Schulz was interviewed by WNAX about the recently narrowing price spread for dressed beef cut-outs between choice grade beef and select grade beef.

 

Monday, April 3, 2023

"Concerns of Planting Delays Grow"
Chad Hart was interviewed by Brownfield Ag News about the possibility of delayed planting in parts of the Midwest.

 

Monday, April 3, 2023

"Mexico plans to ban all GMO corn. Now a key deadline looms as the U.S. pushes back"
Chad Hart was interviewed by National Public Radio about Mexico's plans to ban genetically modified corn imports.
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Tuesday, March 28, 2023

"Comparing Ames gas prices to nearby towns"
Chad Hart was interviewed by the Iowa State Daily about the differences in gas prices in Ames and surrounding communities.

 

Thursday, March 23, 2023

"After hitting rural areas harder, inflation’s ongoing impact evens out"
David Peters was interviewed by NewsWise about the effects of inflation on urban versus rural areas.
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Friday, March 17, 2023

"How might rising interest rates impact Iowa farmland values?"
Wendong Zhang was interviewed by the Sioux City Journal about how rising interest rates may impact farmland values.

 

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

"ISU study shows smaller farms losing ground to commercial operations"
David Peters was interviewed by Radio Iowa about how the number and size of Iowa farms has changed over the past decade.
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Friday, March 10, 2023

"What Small Towns Need for Aging in Place"
David Peters was interviewed by Futurity about his recent study that examines what makes a location good for aging in place.
Also appears in:

  • hxxps://scribd.com/article/630500426/What-Small-Towns-Need-For-Agin…

 

Friday, March 3, 2023

"Exporting Iowa: Farmers facing tighter profit margins as exports shrink in 2023"
Chad Hart was interviewed by Business Record about farmers possibly facing tighter profit margins in 2023.

 

Friday, February 17, 2023

"Beef processing expansion coming during low point of cattle cycle"
Lee Schulz was interviewed by Iowa Farmer Today about how the cattle inventory cycle might affect processors' plans to expand.

 

Friday, February 17, 2023

"3 questions to ask before looking at a carbon program"
Chad Hart was interviewed by Morning Ag Clips about what farmers should know before choosing a voluntary carbon program.

 

Friday, February 17, 2023

"Study: Iowa ethanol production would shrink if carbon pipelines don't move forward in Iowa"
Chad Hart was interviewed by NPR about how carbon dioxide pipelines in Iowa could affect the local ethanol industry.

 

Saturday, February 11, 2023

"U.S. crops find buyers despite fewer deals"
Chad Hart was interviewed by Iowa Farmer Today about the outlook for US agricultural trade.

 

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

"ISU Economist: Disinflation a Good Sign, But There's Still a Ways To Go"
Peter Orazem was interviewed by KFAB about current inflation trends in the United States.

 

Friday, January 27, 2023

"Corn, bean outlooks conflicted"
Chad Hart was interviewed by Agri-View about projected US corn and soybean production and usage in 2023.

 

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

"Why used car prices are dropping — at least for now"
Peter Orazem was interviewed by We Are Iowa about recent market trends in used car prices.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2023

"Comparing 13 Different Carbon Programs"
Alejandro Plastina was interviewed about carbon markets for an episode of the Future of Agriculture podcast.

 

Friday, January 20, 2023

"No Recession in 2023, Says Henderson"
Chad Hart was interviewed by The Farmer's Exchange about the possibility of a recession in 2023.

 

Thursday, January 19, 2023

"States Where Unemployment Claims Are Decreasing the Most"
John Winters was interviewed by Wallet Hub about which states are seeing the biggest decreases in unemployment claims.

 

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

"Climate change prompts rise in toxic corn fungus"
David Hennessy was interviewed by The Alpena News about how climate change is prompting a rise in toxic corn fungus.
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Tuesday, January 17, 2023

"Ag Economist Comments on Narrow Grain Stocks"
Chad Hart was interviewed by WNAX about USDA's most recent crop report.

 

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

"Why the price of eggs has risen so sharply"
Lee Schulz was interviewed by NPR Illinois about factors affecting the price of eggs in the United States.
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Saturday, January 14, 2023

"Supply chain issues continue into 2023 for farmers"
Chad Hart was interviewed by Missouri Farmer Today about how supply chain issues are still affecting US farms.

 

Friday, January 13, 2023

"Iowa State University Agriculture Economist Comments on USDA Crop Report"
Chad Hart was interviewed by WNAX about the most recent USDA crop report.

 

Thursday, January 12, 2023

"How to Decipher Carbon Market Buzzwords"
Alejandro Plastina was interviewed by Successful Farming about agricultural carbon market "buzzwords" and what they really mean.

 

Thursday, January 12, 2023

"Record bird flu outbreaks contribute to surge in egg prices"
Chad Hart was interviewed by The Cedar Rapids Gazette about how avian influenza is affecting national egg prices.
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Thursday, January 12, 2023

"Expert: Wells Fargo cut of WDM-based mortgage business will 'come at the cost of jobs'"
Peter Orazem was interviewed by The Des Moines Register about Wells Fargo downsizing their mortgage business.

 

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

"How to Capture Cash with Carbon"
Alejandro Plastina was interviewed by Successful Farming about how farmers can profit from agricultural carbon markets.

 

Monday, January 9, 2023

"Right to repair agreement signed for John Deere products"
Chad Hart was interviewed by the Associated Press about John Deere and the American Farm Bureau Federation signing a memorandum of understanding that ensures farmers and ranchers have the right to repair their own farm equipment.
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Wednesday, January 4, 2023

"China Demand 'A $64 Billion Question"'
Chad Hart was interviewed by Brownfield Ag News about demand uncertainties as China relaxes its COVID restrictions.

 

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

"A hot labor market is good, right? So why could it lead to a recession?"
Peter Orazem was interviewed by Marketplace about the current job market.