Low Water Levels in the Mississippi River Result in Abnormally Weak Soybean Basis – October 4, 2022

Grain and oilseed market impacts of barge traffic disruptions on the Mississippi River.

Arkansas farmers paying price of low water – October 4, 2022

Low water on the lower Mississippi River has come at the worst time for farmers — harvest season. The river’s level will affect Arkansas farmers’ pocketbooks as shipping costs rise for crops. The price to ship fertilizer coming up river for fall planting is also rising.

Careful on the Curves – July 20, 2022

Steven Klose (Texas A&M) and John Anderson describe how the yield curve – the relationship between interest rate and maturity – reflects market expectations about inflation and growth.

Influential Expectations – July 6, 2022

Steven Klose (Texas A&M) and John Anderson describe how rates on treasury securities reveal market expectations about inflation.

State farmers plant less than planned – July 2, 2022

Arkansas farmers in March expected they would be planting more more rice, corn, soybean, cotton and peanuts than they actually did, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual June acreage report.

Planted acreage for all major Arkansas crops falls from March forecast – July 1, 2022

Planted acreage for all major commodity crops fell from growers’ stated planting intentions in March, according to a report issued Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Arkansas experts don’t expect gas, grocery prices to drop any time soon – April 7, 2022

Fryar Center Director, John Anderson, discusses factors influencing retail gas prices in an interview with THV 11.

Arkansas growers go in strong for cotton and soybean, pull back from corn – March 31, 2022

Arkansas growers intend to plant significantly more cotton and soybean acres in 2022, while greatly reducing corn acreage, according to the 2022 Prospective Plantings report released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

As Canadian rail strike looms, potash prices likely to continue to rise in U.S. as demand shifts ‘from rail to river’ – March 18, 2022

If a Canadian Pacific Railway strike becomes a reality on Sunday, U.S. farmers north of Arkansas who normally rely on rail freight to deliver fertilizer may end up seeking inputs via river routes from the south — increasing demand on an already pricey necessity.

Potential potash, phosphate shortage latest ingredient to ‘perfect storm’ for growers, economists, soil experts say – March 10, 2022

A potential halt to rail traffic in Canada could further hinder spring planting in North America if a labor dispute is not resolved within the next week.

Russia-Ukraine conflict will likely mean hardship, opportunity for agricultural producers – March 3, 2022

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is causing “gut-wrenching” volatility in grain markets and pushing already high prices for fertilizer and diesel even higher, economists with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture said this week.

Cattle Price Discovery Functioning Effectively, Arkansas Analysis Finds – January 20, 2022

Price discovery in today’s fed cattle market “appears to be functioning effectively in even the thinnest regional fed cattle markets,” according to an analysis published by University of Arkansas agricultural economists.

Analysis of the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act of 2021 – January 18, 2022

The AEAB Department and the Fryar Center were asked to provide objective analysis of the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act of 2021 to assist the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee in their deliberations on the bill.  That bill would mandate specific levels of negotiated cash trade in major fed cattle markets.

Introducing the Relevant Risk Podcast – January 12, 2022

Welcome to Relevant Risk from the Fryar Price Risk Management Center of Excellence. In this inaugural episode, director of the Fryar Center John Anderson sat down with Andrew McKenzie, the associate director of the Center, to introduce the podcast and discuss the overall aims of the Fryar Risk Management Center of Excellence.

Farm incomes on the rise; Fryar Center predicts trend to continue in 2022 – January 10, 2022

Farm income and agricultural land values were on the rise in 2021 and are projected to continue upwards in 2022, according to the Fryar Risk Management Center of Excellence. The Center expects this growth despite supply chain problems and other factors related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden’s $1 billion bet to make beef cheaper: When will prices fall? – January 4, 2022

The White House on Monday offered a solution to surging meat prices: an action plan that includes investing $1 billion of American Rescue Plan funds to boost competition in the industry and promises to ramp up regulation and enforcement of anticompetition laws.

High global fertilizer costs leave growers facing tough choices in 2022 – December 10, 2021

Consumers are facing rising costs in many sectors, but American farmers, in particular, are seeing a financial squeeze several months down the road, with global fertilizer prices now two to three times what they were in 2020.

Will more meat packing capacity help avoid future disruptions? – December 4, 2021

COVID-19 caused so many disruptions across the farm to fork supply chain but also spurred renewed interest in local foods and more, diverse meat processing facilities.

Strengthening the food supply chain in response to the COVID-19 pandemic – November 23, 2021

Lessons learned from the pandemic in the protein sector are analyzed in a new review in Applied Animal Science.

Agriculture Faculty Net $500K Grant for Study of Impacts of Perennial Forage Systems – October 15, 2021

Two Arkansas researchers will be gauging consumer sentiment as well as evaluating any health and economic benefits of meat products from livestock raised on perennial forage systems.

UARK studies profit potential of farming organic rice – September 24, 2021

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture has received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to research what it would take to grow organic rice domestically.

Wheat prices fall tightening farmers’ profit margins – September 16, 2021

Wheat prices had been doing well, but in recent weeks prices have drastically fallen and it could impact farmers’ profit margins.

Turkey production decline could impact the holiday season – August 27, 2021

Holiday dinners later this year might be impacted by a decline in turkey production due to several factors, according to James Mitchell, extension agricultural economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Gas consumption up; prices reach the highest average since October 2014 – August 6, 2021

More people were hitting the road during the first half of 2021, with demand driving gasoline prices to their highest levels since 2014.

Estimate: $200+ million in crop damage in Southeastern Arkansas flooding – June 28, 2021

Farmers in five counties in southeastern Arkansas suffered more than $200 million in direct losses to primary crops after the major flooding and storm event in early June.

Cattle Markets, Price Discovery, and Emerging Issue

In June 2021, USDA Office of the Chief Economist and the Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) at which a series of papers summarizing work on fed cattle pricing issues were presented and discussed.

Invited Review: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic for food supply chains

Some of the biggest economic disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic were experienced in food supply chains, particularly in the protein sector.

Consumers likely to feel impacts of I-40 bridge closure – May 20, 2021

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Disruptions in truck and barge traffic with the closure of the Interstate-40 bridge over the Mississippi River will likely translate into higher costs for consumers.

McKenzie appointed Fryar Endowed Professor in Risk Management – March 10, 2021

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Andrew McKenzie, the newly appointed Fryar Endowed Professor in Risk Management, found career inspiration in a most unusual place: the cinema.

Project Narrative FSA proposal Export Sales Report

Assessing the Impact of Weekly Export Sales Reports on Commodity Market Prices.

The Elevator’s Cut

UA System Receives $10 Million Gift to Create, Support Fryar Price Risk Management Center of Excellence, Endowed Professorship – June 25, 2020

LITTLE ROCK — A $10 million donation to the University of Arkansas System from the Fryar Family Charitable Foundation will be used to create and support a center that will provide analysis and education on issues of price risk management in agriculture, finance and energy.