Etymologically, the month now closing likely got its name from the Latin word for “to open” (aperio) and possibly in reference the opening of flowers in the spring (Boeckman, April…

Overall, the debt-to-asset ratio of Illinois grain farms has trended downward over the past two decades, indicating an improvement in solvency and a reduction in financial risk. Initial findings from 2023 indicate the average debt-to-asset ratio remained similar to that of 2022, despite much lower prices at the end of the year. Projections for 2024 suggest that lower prices, as well as the potential for higher operating loan balances and accrued interest, may increase debt-to-asset ratios.

For Brazil soybean production, USDA has provided estimates higher than those of the Brazilian government agency, Conab. Higher production estimates are necessary to reconcile USDA’s world soybean balance sheet with its chosen estimates for use and the near-zero lower bound on estimated soybean inventories. This implies the necessity of a major re-think in how these agencies develop their estimates and a possible revision in past estimates that may create some volatility in soybean markets.

Many industries face workforce challenges, and industries related to food, agriculture, and forestry are no exception. This article describes several employment trends within the Midwest’s food, agriculture, and forestry industries. We explore employment trends within industries related to production agriculture, agricultural support and services, food and beverage manufacturing, and forestry and wood products. Importantly, we examine these activities through an occupational lens.

In 2023, the total of all economic costs per acre for growing corn in Illinois averaged $1,301 in the northern section, $1,342 in the central section for farmland with “high” soil ratings, $1,291 in the central section for farmland with “low” soil ratings, and $1,214 in the southern section. Soybean costs per acre were $915, $967, $905 and $880, respectively. For corn, 2024 variable costs are projected to decrease 9% while soybeans have a similar projected decrease of variable costs of 7%.

One of the most critical nutrients for plant growth, nitrogen is exported from farm fields in a different process than soil erosion. The two are connected in important ways, however. Erosion of fertile topsoil, for example, requires applications of nitrogen to compensate. The common ground is bare soil; farm fields left exposed after harvest are at an increased risk of both soil erosion and nutrient loss, critical consequences that result when the bare soils of farm fields are exposed.