Episode 86 - Arkansas net farm income remains steady in 2026 driven by government assistance

Episode 95 - Fed Funds Update and Outlook

The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee's June 2026 meeting ended in a federal funds rate hold, but the odds of a rate hike by September have jumped to nearly 70%. Hunter Biram and Ryan Loy unpack what's driving the shift, from lingering energy-price inflation to the disappearing benefit of last year's rate cuts on farm budgets. If the Fed does move, it's one more squeeze on operating costs at a time when farm profitability is already stretched thin.

Episode 94 - June Acreage Report Offers No Surprises

Rice acreage in Arkansas just hit a 50-year low, so what's driving farmers away from a crop they've grown for generations? Hunter Biram and Scott Stiles break down the 2026 USDA June Acreage Report, exploring why rice and peanut acres fell while cotton surged past expectations. They dig into soaring input costs, a wave of acres shifting to soybeans, and whether this marks a lasting structural shift for Arkansas rice.

Episode 93 - Chapter 12 Bankruptcy Filings are up 20%, Underscoring the Impact of the Farm Safety Net on Crop Farmers

Chapter 12 bankruptcy filings are up 20% year over year, with Arkansas leading the nation. Hunter Biram, Ryan Loy and LSU's Mike Deliberto break down where filings are concentrated, why rising input costs have eaten into recent crop price gains, and what the new farm bill's higher rice reference price means for Delta producers facing payment limitations.

Episode 92 - The long grain rice world market price for the 2025 crop approaches the USDA marketing loan rate for the fourth time since 2001

This week on Morning Coffee and Ag Markets, Hunter Biram visits with Arkansas Agricultural Hall of Fame inductee Carl Brothers about the history of rice marketing assistance loans, world market price calculations, and the growing possibility of loan deficiency payments (LDPs). Drawing on more than 50 years in the rice industry, Brothers explains how rice policy has evolved, why global competitiveness matters, and what current market conditions could mean for rice producers.

Episode 91 - Analyzing the relationship between the yield ratio and optimal crop insurance coverage levels

Hunter Biram is joined by Enil Serrano and Grant Gardner to discuss the Crop Insurance Decision Maker, a web-based tool developed by the University of Arkansas and University of Kentucky that evaluates expected net returns across different crop insurance and farm program scenarios. They walk through key findings on how a farm's yield relative to the county average shapes the optimal coverage level, and why skipping crop insurance altogether is rarely the right call.