On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law. The law included changes to the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs. In a previous post, we covered what changed for the PLC program. This post explains what has changed for the ARC program and how payments under these programs might be affected. [Read more…] about Changes to the ARC-CO Program in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Changes to the PLC Program in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law. The law included changes to the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs. In this post, we explain what has changed for PLC and how payments under this program might be affected. [Read more…] about Changes to the PLC Program in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
The May WASDE: Expectations for the 2025/26 Marketing Year
Cotton picker on Tuesday, Sep 17, 2024, in El Campo, Texas. (Michael Miller/Texas A&M AgriLife)
The USDA released its May World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates on Monday. The May report is significant because it provides our first look at the USDA’s expectations for the upcoming marketing year. Today, we discuss what the report indicates about the 2025/26 season.
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Projected Crop Insurance Prices and Revenue Guarantees in 2025
Projected crop insurance prices for counties in AgriLife Extension Districts 1 and 2 were set in February. Today, we consider what these prices imply about the financial risk that producers face in 2025. [Read more…] about Projected Crop Insurance Prices and Revenue Guarantees in 2025
Examining the 2025 Corn and Sorghum Budgets
Corn on Tuesday, Sep 17, 2024, in El Campo, Texas. (Michael Miller/Texas A&M AgriLife)
The 2025 crop and livestock budgets are available on the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Economics website. In today’s post, we break down the District 1, District 2, and District 3 corn and sorghum budgets and discuss what they imply about feed grain production in 2025. [Read more…] about Examining the 2025 Corn and Sorghum Budgets
Examining the 2025 Cotton Budgets
Cotton on the Texas A&M AgriLife Farm in Snook, Texas on Sept. 9, 2021. (Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)
The 2025 crop and livestock budgets will soon be available on the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Economics website. In today’s post, we break down the District 1 and District 2 cotton budgets and discuss what they imply about cotton production in 2025. [Read more…] about Examining the 2025 Cotton Budgets
Input Costs in 2025
As we enter a new year, producers are making plans for a new crop. Those plans will depend in part on their expectations regarding their costs of production. In this post, we’ll discuss our expectations for five important costs in 2025. [Read more…] about Input Costs in 2025
Ag Economic on the Plains – Year in Review
(Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)
Welcome to our final post of the year. Today, we will review the economic topics that garnered the most attention in 2024 and discuss some of the challenges we anticipate in the upcoming year. Andrew and I are wrapping up the blog for 2024. Enjoy this Holiday Season, and see you all next year!
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Understanding the Relationship Between Cotton Classing and Cotton Prices
Cotton on the Texas A&M AgriLife Farm in Snook, Texas on Sept. 9, 2021. (Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)
How does cotton quality impact the price someone pays for it? In this post, we discuss how cotton is classed and how the classification of upland cotton might inform cotton prices. [Read more…] about Understanding the Relationship Between Cotton Classing and Cotton Prices
To Harvest or Not to Harvest? Cotton Harvest Decisions
Cotton harvest on Oct. 20, 2021. (Courtney Sacco/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)
It’s almost time for producers to begin harvesting cotton in this part of the state. Today, we look at the decision to harvest low-yielding fields and discuss the costs and benefits of doing so. We also present a tool to help producers evaluate the profitability of harvesting cotton from low-yielding fields. [Read more…] about To Harvest or Not to Harvest? Cotton Harvest Decisions