Latest News From U.S. Farm Report

To wrap up 2023 I thought I’d show my list of good news that few believe: the good news with declining crime rates, wage growth and cooling inflation.

After almost 19 years and about 1,500 commentaries, John Phipps announced he's retiring from U.S. Farm Report. In his final regular Customer Support segment, he calls it an adventure that's been a gift from viewers.

Organic food sales have grown over time, but it's still only accounts for 2.5% to 6% of the food market. How much is organic farming growing year over year? John Phipps answers a viewer's question in Customer Support.

Some farming operations have been ruined by PFAS, but there's still things the industry doesn't know, including how PFAS enters the food chain. John Phipps thinks the debate over PFAS may just be getting started.

With a tractor that had been sitting untouched for at least 30 years, Charlie Bortner knew he had his work cut out for him. He figured the restoration project would take shape years down the road, but fate intervened.

John Phipps says nobody is forcing Americans to pay for the corporate windfall, but as consumers continue to spend, manufacturers to retailers have no reason to lower prices and profits.

Rural areas are slowly gaining access to decent broadband speeds, and small towns are adding fiber-optic lines. However, the decline of the population in areas with fewer than 10,000 people is not improving much.

On October 8th, 2019, local farmer Jerry Schwarzrock was entrapped in his grain bin. His sons found him, and immediately called 911. That one call then sparked a new calling for the local fire department.

Mortgage interest rates just hit a twenty-year high, topping 7%. High borrowing costs will slowly dampen farmer demand for acres as record land prices mean all but a few will have to borrow some to buy.

China's GDP growth could possibly drop lower than the U.S. this year. In fact, fewer and fewer sectors are healthy, and only then by direct government intervention.

In early 2022, a possible trucker shortage grabbed headlines, but John Phipps says even today, there isn't much hard data to substantiate that alarm.

John Phipps says there are signs that water is the new oil as water rights turn into water fights across the western U.S. He thinks it's a battle that could only heat up in the coming years.

John Phipps says the rapid reduction in farmer numbers is a result of government efforts to raise money, since the government owns the land, and achieve modest economies of scale for added productivity.

This recent sea of very warm water means cooler land temperatures surrounding the Gulf will be a long time arriving this fall. It even has an implication for Midwest farmers.

Farm Bill discussions and debates don't pack as much drama for producers. According to JohnPhipps, there's an unspoken realization that the Farm Bill doesn’t have the same influence on the farm economy it once did.

The creation of the Declaration of Independence was a laborious process. There's still no definitive document of the original draft, but there are fascinating facts about how the Declaration turned into its final form.

CRISPR results are identical to results of conventional breeding, and it's nearly impossible to differentiate from conventional vs CRISPR. The breeding tool is also having an impact on the apprehension of GMOs.

Analysts at Wolfstreet believe the U.S. is seeing the first hint of an EV effect on gas demand. John Phipps looks at the data and explains why a possible peak in U.S. gasoline consumption could impact ethanol demand. ​

As the tiny number of electric cars trickle out into the U.S. fleet, multiple attempts have been made to compare cost of ownership and more specifically cost of maintenance for these new machines.

John Phipps thinks the Right to Repair controversy gets more coverage than it deserves. From the title to possible implications down the road, he explains his reasoning.

John Phipps thinks many, if not most of the electric vehicle startups will fail, but he also thinks their sheer number will chip away at the dominance of major car companies and spur a change in current regulations.

High winds and dust proved to be a deadly combination last week on I-55 in Illinois. Proponents of no-till and cover crops say this tragedy could have been averted. John Phipps provides his perspective.

The causal link between the Federal Reserve discount rate and inflation is obvious to all serious armchair economists, but calls for an impending recession in the U.S. are missing a few details. John Phipps explains.

According to John Phipps, the legendary Third Crop has been the Holy Grail for many corn and soy growers for decades. He explains why more Midwest farms moved away from diversified crops and livestock operations.

In April 2017, Ray Starling, Special Assistant to the President for Ag, Trade and Food Assistance during the Trump administration, received some important news. What happened next helped change the course of history.

For a developed country as large as the US, we are almost unique in our lack of robust rail capabilities. John Phipps answers a viewer's question about the possibility of updating the rail system to move grain faster.

What is the true cost of manufacturing green energies? John Phipps says in order to answer the question, it's important to first clear up confusion about what green even means.

Art Johnson’s farm has been in the family for nearly a century. What was once a tobacco farm in Kernersville, NC, is now a thriving agritourism business that attracts up to 1,000 people each day during the spring.

It's been a wet spring for many parts of the Corn Belt, and John Phipps says one of the advantages of his advancing age is the ability to start worrying earlier.

Waste issues for renewables may seem huge but not when compared to the alternatives. John Phipps says one problem is the availability bias. He analyzes the cost of the waste compared to alternatives in Customer Support.

Since states have majority control of utility policies and rates, the differences between renewable and fossil fuel-generated electricity is dramatic. California has a duck curve for electricity demand and solar supply.

Farmers are starting to ask what artificial intelligence bots like ChatGPT can do for them. John Phipps went straight to the source, asking ChatGPT what it can do for farmers.

Russia badly needs to replace expended and outdated Soviet arms while China needs Russian energy. That is compelling math. This is bad news not just for the heroic people of Ukraine, but Europe and the US.

Morocco is sitting on 75-85% of proven global phosphate reserves, but projections of phosphate depletion span from 50 to 300 years. John Phipps explains why the concerns about peak phosphate production may be overblown.

As farm shows and meetings portray a crowd that seems to be aging, is there a shortage of young farmers threatening the future of ag? John Phipps explains why an abundance of young farmers may not be on the farm today.

Between the 2022 CHIPS Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, there's a policy push to bring the production of both semiconductor chips and nitrogen to the U.S.

John Phipps says eggs are a perfect example of an inelastic product – one barely sensitive to price. And as egg inventory ramps back up, it may be an indicator of what it could mean for egg prices in the months ahead.

For Ukrainians, the introduction of Starlink has been essential. As Russian barrages destroy cell towers and blow up landlines, satellite internet connection is not just an option, but it's now a lifeline.

Enough vertical farms have been put into operation that early data can show how that idea is going to work out. John Phipps explains why the future of vertical farming isn't promising.

John Phipps examines one aspect of the pandemic experts have noticed: consumption of more alcohol during and especially immediately after the isolations and quarantines. What does it mean? John explains in John's World.

From artificial intelligence and changes in energy, to the increasingly unpredictable conflict in Ukraine, John Phipps thinks 2023 will be déjà vu for many.

John Phipps looks back at 2022 and thinks much of what made 2022 memorable will likely be noteworthy in 2023. From solar energy to supply chain, John takes a look back at some unfinished business in 2022.

John Phipps unexpectedly stumbled into the real Christmas spirit recently, and as he shares in his annual Christmas in the Country commentary, the Christmas spirit is alive and well.

The reference to chestnuts, let alone roasted ones, will trigger few remembrances even though Chestnut trees once dominated Eastern forests comprising as much as half the hardwood in those woodlands.

Is there a useful explanation of crypto? As John Phipps points out, the FTX fiasco demonstrated crypto is unregulated, and says if you can’t explain it, don’t invest in it, no matter how attractive the reward.

John Phipps has noticed more unsettling problems for the second-largest nation to the point that despite their skills and accomplishment, he thinks China is heading for trouble. He explains why in John's World.

Over the past nearly three decades, John Phipps has written around 600 articles for Farm Journal and Top Producer, and about 800 commentaries for U.S. Farm Report. He's found a way to boost his creativity.

John Phipps says Thanksgiving shouldn’t be a weather-dependent celebration. Gratitude doesn’t watch the 6-10 day forecast. John's annual Harvest of Thanks message is a good reminder for your heart and mind.

John Phipps stumbled across a graph from farmdocdaily showing expected net farm income this year. The good times in ag are something in which Phipps encourages farmers to be grateful and he explains why in John's World.

A year ago, USDA scientists announced a process to make sustainable aviation fuel from soybean oil. Commodity organizations looked at the aviation fuel consumption data and fell in love, but Johns Phipps has questions.