farm debt

The number of farm businesses that are highly leveraged has fallen since 2015, but is forecast to increase slightly this year.  Farm businesses accounted for more than 94% of U.S. farm sector production in 2017.  That year, farm businesses held 90 of all farm assets and 96% of farm debt.  However...

Top U.S. banks like J.P. Morgan and Capital One are on the way out of ag lending.  But, Rabobank will be reportedly step in to fill that gap.   The nation’s top 30 banks saw a 17.5% decline, or about $3.9 billion, in their farm-loan portfolios between the peak of December 2015 and March of this year.  However, Rabo...

U.S. farm banks increased agricultural lending by 5.3%, or $5.5 billion, to $108 billion in 2018.  The American Bankers Association recently released its annual Farm Bank Performance Report.  The report found that in 2018, farm banks' asset quality remained healthy and non-performing loans stayed at a pre-recession level of 0.52% of to...

Earlier this week, the Farm Credit System reported combined net income of $5.3 billion for 2018, as compared with $5.2 billion for the prior year.  The system also reported combined net income of $1.3 billion for the fourth quarter of 2018, as compared with $1.5 bi...

USDA expects farm income and farm asset values to fall this year, which could lead to additional farm debt.  Even though foreign cash receipts and government payments to farmers have been generally higher compared to last year, USDA Chief Economist Rob Johansson says that's not enough to offset rising expenses.  Be...

Combined net income for the Farm Credit System increased 1.8 percent to $1.27 billion for the first quarter of 2018, as compared with $1.24 billion for the same period last year. President and CEO of the Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation Tracey McCabe says the system remains “well-positioned” to support farmers as they face challenges this year. Net intere...

Low commodity prices have made things tough by bringing down land values, tightening balance sheets, and increasing the stress level of America’s producers.  Unfortunately, that means farmers are continuing to take on more debt.  The amount of outstanding farm debt is likely to reach an all-time high this year.   Brent ...