Bragging on Market Intel

By Zippy Duvall
President, American Farm Bureau Federation

I’m going to brag on the American Farm Bureau Federation a little bit. At the end of March, we launched a new Market Intel page on our website featuring articles by AFBF’s economists. I was already proud of what our organization can do with the knowledgeable, talented and committed staff we have working for America’s farmers and ranchers. Now I’m proud that the rest of the world can see it, too.

The intelligence and analysis available on our new Market Intel page is the kind of information that often requires a subscription costing hundreds or thousands of dollars a year. It breaks down trends, such as the projection of reduced corn acreage and record-high soybean plantings this year, and how they might affect agricultural demand, trade, prices and income. For example, anyone reading that more farmers intend to plant soybeans this year might assume soybean prices would go down due to the increase in supply. But our economists also looked at how soybeans are being used for exports, feed and other purposes, and found that consumption also could set a record this year, boosting prices if the current pace of demand continues.

The intelligence and analysis available on our new Market Intel page is the kind of information that often requires a subscription costing hundreds or thousands of dollars a year.

Farming and ranching can feel like a gamble, but it doesn’t have to be that way if farmers have access to reliable intelligence about markets, production costs, trade trends and other factors that impact their bottom line. Membership in Farm Bureau enables us to provide this intelligence, along with the many other ways we promote and protect American agriculture. It adds value for being a member. Check it out, and tell others about it. The more people who know what their national farm organization does for them, the better!