Farmers and ranchers are experts in their fields. They know what they are producing, what it costs, and what it is worth when it leaves their hands. But what happens after it leaves the farm? A commodity may pass through additional markets, processors, and businesses before reaching the end user. So where does it go?...…
Drought Conditions One factor influencing cattle inventory decisions is drought, which can reduce herd size through liquidation, delay rebuilding of the herd, and shift culling and slaughter patterns. Over the past couple of years, much of Iowa’s cattle inventory has been exposed to abnormally dry conditions, with periods of moderate and extreme drought also affecting...…
Since January 2020, corn prices have ranged between $3 and $8 per bushel. Soybean meal prices have ranged between $280 and $500 per ton. DDGs prices have ranged between $100 to nearly $300 per ton (Figure 1). Corn, soybean meal, and Dried Distillers Grains (DDGs) compose slightly more than 75% of the total hog feed...…
The U.S. poultry industry has experienced significant changes in recent years, but those changes have not been uniform across chicken, turkey, and eggs. Differences in prices, consumer demand, and production reveal three distinct market trends within the broader poultry industry. Price In recent years, poultry prices have responded differently across products, reflecting changes in supply,...…
The growing appetite for high-protein foods and snacks is reshaping and influencing decisions throughout the agricultural supply chain. Social media, in part, has been a driving force behind major food consumption changes and emerging trends, particularly growing popularity of high-protein foods and snacks. As a result, foods like cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, eggs, and protein bars have gained popularity across consumers who are looking to boost protein-intake or try...…
Data released by the Iowa Department of Revenue1 (IDR) shows that retail sales of E15 in Iowa reached a record high of 410.10 million gallons in 2025, up 60% (153.35 million gallons) from 2024. Figure 1 shows the continued upward trend of E15 retail sales since 2015. E15 retail sales made up 27.2 % of...…
What is a Feasibility Study and Why is it Valuable? A feasibility study is a structured, data-driven analysis used to determine whether a business can realistically succeed under current and expected market conditions. For agricultural businesses and investors, it assesses opportunity and operational risks that could affect performance over time. Unlike intuition or experience alone,...…
Minnesota’s economy has always been powered by agriculture, trucking, manufacturing, and practical decision-making rooted in the realities of working families and businesses. That is why current conversations around a proposed “Low Carbon Fuel Standard” (LCFS), now being branded as a “Clean Transportation Standard” (CTS), deserve careful economic analysis and thoughtful discussion. Recent research shows that...…
Subsurface tile drainage is a farming practice utilized in various regions of the United States, primarily in the Midwest, that allows proper drainage of soils that do not naturally drain well. The practice involves a system of pipes and channels that allow water to flow out of an otherwise poorly drained field to a designated...…
Weekly federally inspected cattle slaughter data from 2024 through early 2026 points to a clear and sustained tightening in supply (Figure 1). In 2024, weekly slaughter generally ranged between 650,000 and 700,000 head, but that stepped down to roughly 600,000–650,000 in 2025 and has trended closer to 550,000–600,000 so far in 2026. While normal seasonal...…
