Since 2011, there have been more than two dozen farm labor reform bills proposed in the U.S. Congress with no major progress to addressing the issue of agricultural workers. This week, a bipartisan compromise bill will be introduced that has a better than 50/50 chance of passing, despite the air of distinct partisanship in Congress – especially around immigration issues. Farm labor, as well as labor for commodity processors like meat plants, is increasingly a significant issue for the farm economy. Competition for labor has pushed up wage rates in the past several years, even as commodity prices have fallen.
There are fewer workers, especially young workers coming into farm jobs. According to the USDA, the average age of imm...
Key Market Insights The broad market is locked in on this week’s Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, but this is no longer just a trade summit. Increasingly, the meeting is becoming tied directly to Iran, energy security, and the growing global economic fallout from disruptions through the Strai...
