Agricultural Policy Review
A Research Publication of the Center for Agricultural & Rural Development
Winter 2025
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Despite high federal crop insurance program participation rate and average coverage level, some studies raise the issue of whether farmers have been making crop insurance choices that maximize their economic benefits. Using a recent survey conducted in Iowa and Kansas, this article presents patterns in farmers’ coverage level choices and examines potential factors driving these choices.
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Prices for crops have fallen, costs have risen, net farm incomes have retreated, and drought, tariffs, and inflation remain substantial concerns for the industry. USDA's projections for 2025 highlight challenges for agriculture in the year ahead and indicate that the agricultural economic downturn will likely continue, as production is likely to exceed consumption for many commodities once again.
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USDA releases annual international baseline projections that play a key role in shaping farm policy, guiding market outlooks, and informing stakeholders about how supply, demand, and trade might evolve over the next decade. Just as farmland value surveys or commodity price outlooks assist local producers in Iowa and the broader Corn Belt, these USDA baselines are critical for understanding broader trends in US agriculture.
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Green agricultural patents are essential for driving agricultural productivity while enhancing sustainability, resource efficiency, and climate resilience, and for addressing critical challenges such as soil degradation, water scarcity, and greenhouse gas emissions.
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With a new administration considering tariffs, it is important to examine the current state of the United States’ export position. This article uses the normalized revealed comparative advantage (NRCA) index to examine the United States’ trade position over the years 1980 to 2023 in beef, pork, corn, soybeans, and wheat.