Morning Coffee and Ag Markets
This podcast delivers weekly insights for the agriculture industry, covering everything from farm-level risk management to market volatility and production challenges. Beyond the farm, we discuss key supply chain issues, like Federal Reserve policies, port strikes, and Mississippi River disruptions, affecting everyone from producers to those all along the supply chain. Join us every Monday morning for engaging conversations with agricultural economists and industry experts about the agricultural economy at both the micro and macro level. Each episode also features a market report, offering current and historical futures price trends.
Episodes
65 episodes
Episode 63 - Short-Term Interest Rates and Identifying Financial Stress
The Fed cuts interest rates for the first time since 2024, easing short-term lending costs but offering little immediate relief for producers in a tough ag economy. Ryan Loy is joined by Erica Barnes Fields as they connect these market shifts t...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 63
•
16:27
Episode 62 - USDA September 12th Reports Highlight Record Corn Production and Downward Revision in Rice Price
Scott Stiles and Hunter Biram recap USDA’s Sept. 12 reports on this week's episode of Morning Coffee & Ag Markets. USDA found more corn acres while trimming yield, and futures firmed after early field reports of disease in the western Corn ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 62
•
22:45
Episode 61 - Margin Protection (MP) and Margin Coverage Option (MCO) Sales Closing Date for Corn and Soybeans is September 30, 2025
Ryan Loy and Hunter Biram sit down to talk margin insurance. They break down Margin Protection and the Margin Coverage Option, how each fits with other crop insurance plans, and the signup windows. Hunter also walks through the Margin Protectio...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 61
•
23:03
Episode 60 - Prevented Planting: Historical Impacts to Indemnities and Acreage
Hunter and Ryan are back with part two of our Prevented Planting (PP) series. They look at 30 years of Arkansas trends—how PP losses surged after 2011 and have topped production losses since 2019 (often outpacing premiums), in addition to which...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 60
•
22:26
Episode 59 - The Mississippi River is Set to Fall to Severe Levels for the Fourth Year in a Row
For the fourth year in a row, Mississippi River levels are dropping to severe lows during harvest. Join Hunter Biram and Ryan Loy as they discuss how these conditions are impacting barge freight rates, soybean basis, and local cash bids. They b...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 59
•
21:22
Episode 58 - Tracking Chapter 12 Bankruptcies in the South: 2015 – 2025 Trends
Hunter Biram is joined by Ryan Loy to explore Chapter 12 bankruptcy trends across the U.S. and in Arkansas. They discuss what rising filings reveal about farm financial stress, how margins are tightening due to rising costs, and why this matter...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 58
•
25:13
Episode 57 - USDA’s August Crop Forecasts Point to Record Corn and Soybean Yields
Hunter Biram and Scott Stiles break down USDA’s Aug. 12 forecasts. Corn is on track for record yields and production, rebuilding U.S. supplies. Soybeans pair record yield potential with fewer harvested acres, keeping new-crop supplies relativel...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 57
•
26:40
Episode 56 - July 2025 Short-term Interest Rate Update
Dr. Ryan Loy unpacks the Fed’s decision to hold interest rates steady for the fifth straight meeting and what it means for farm borrowing costs. We also break down rising inflation pressures, the looming August 7 tariff deadline, and how trade ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 56
•
20:00
Episode 55 - Do Daily Large Export Sales Reports Move Markets?
In this episode, Eunchun Park and Ryan Loy explore whether USDA’s Daily Large Export Sales Reports (DLESR) influence commodity futures markets. Unlike regularly scheduled USDA reports like WASDE, DLESRs are unscheduled and announce sig...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 55
•
25:52
Episode 54 - Prevented Planting: Coverage Levels, Payments, and Rules
In this episode, Dr. Hunter Biram and Dr. Ryan Loy explore Prevented Planting coverage—the indemnity within Yield and Revenue Protection policies that compensate producers when extreme events, like April’s floods, prevent planting. They e...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 54
•
24:24
Episode 53 - July WASDE: Heavy Stocks Keep Pressure on 2025 Price Outlook
In this episode, Scott Stiles and Hunter Biram unpack USDA’s July WASDE, which largely met expectations as favorable weather and robust yields continue to underpin ample supplies. Soybean acreage cuts trimmed production slightly, but stronger c...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 53
•
21:13
Episode 52 - Stronger farm safety net included in the OBBB Act, “Skinny” Farm Bill, and SDRP disaster payments
In this episode, Hunter Biram and Will Maples break down recent federal policy updates affecting U.S. agriculture. The newly passed “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) strengthens the farm safety net with major changes to PLC, ARC, and crop ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 52
•
24:36
Episode 51 - USDA's June 30 Acreage Report a Non-Event for Corn and Soybeans
In this episode, Hunter Biram and Scott Stiles recap one of the quietest June 30 USDA reports in recent memory. With little market reaction, they dig into what the numbers mean for corn, soybeans, cotton, and rice heading into the July WASDE. C...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 51
•
20:47
Episode 50 - Chapter 12 Bankruptcies in Arkansas and the U.S.: Trends and Implications for the Farm Economy
In this episode, Ryan Loy and Scott Stiles break down the rise in Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies and why Arkansas now accounts for over a quarter of filings in the 8th Circuit. They explore what this trend reveals about farm financial stress, how...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 50
•
22:53
Episode 49 - Farm Commodity Prices Unlikely to Recover to Breakeven Point for Arkansas Farms in 2025
Prices are down, breakevens are up — and Arkansas producers are stuck in the middle. In this episode, Dr. Hunter Biram and Dr. Ryan Loy walk through the latest crop market trends and how the updated Arkansas Profit/Loss Tool can help producers ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 49
•
28:06
Episode 48 - June WASDE Delivers Sharp Reduction in U.S. Rice and Cotton Crops
In this episode, Scott Stiles and Dr. Hunter Biram unpack the June WASDE report and its big surprises for U.S. rice and cotton production. The duo also dives into the latest Senate proposal on farm safety net reform, including a 15% increase to...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 48
•
30:59
Episode 47 - Global Market Prospects for U.S. Long-grain Rice for the Upcoming Market Year
Dr. Hunter Biram and Dr. Ryan Loy sit down with Dr. Alvaro Durand-Morat to discuss the outlook for U.S. long-grain rice in the 2025/26 marketing year. They cover the latest global supply and demand dynamics, including record global rice product...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 47
•
24:00
Episode 46 Analyzing the upside and downside risk in PRF policy selection: Timing mismatch
In this episode of Morning Coffee and Ag Markets, Hunter is joined by Walker Davis, a graduate student at the University of Arkansas, for an insightful discussion on the complexities of Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) insurance policy sele...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 46
•
26:55
Episode 45 Arkansas net farm income sees 22% Increase driven by federal economic and weather-related disaster assistance
Pour yourself a fresh cup and join Riley, Hunter, and Ryan at the table for this special episode of Morning Coffee and AG Markets. Today, the trio dives into the surprising 22% increase in Arkansas' net farm income — a jump largely driven by fe...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 45
•
16:25
Episode 44 - USDA’s May WASDE Report Provides Initial Outlook for 2025 Crop Prices
Dr. Hunter Biram sits down with Scott Stiles, Extension Program Associate in Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, to discuss key takeaways from the May 2025 USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE). The duo notes that the...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 44
•
29:30
Episode 43 - Federal Open Market Committee Update and Breakeven Curves Under Different Land Rental Agreements
In this episode of Morning Coffee and Ag Markets, Dr. Hunter Biram visits with Dr. Ryan Loy about the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting held on May 6-7, 2025 and implications for short and long-term interest rates. Dr. Loy also discu...
•
22:22
Episode 42 - How can Crop Marketing and Crop Insurance go together?
Join Riley for a fresh brew of ag insights on this weeks episode of Morning Coffee and Ag Markets. As he's joined by Dr. Hunter Biram and special guest Dr. Andrew McKenzie to unpack the critical intersection of forward contracting and cro...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 42
•
25:40
Episode 41 - Arkansas Row Crop Update and Fertilizer Market Outlook
In today’s episode of Morning Coffee and AG Markets, Riley covers the latest on Arkansas’ row crop planting progress after heavy early April rains. The USDA report shows planting is slightly behind last year, but recent dry weather helped farme...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 41
•
12:27
Episode 40 - Preliminary Analysis Suggests Historic Flooding Results in $79 Million in Crop-Related Damages
This morning on Morning Coffee and Ag Markets, Riley Smith is joined by Dr. Hunter Biram, Extension Agricultural Economist at the University of Arkansas, to discuss the preliminary findings of a new report estimating nearly $79 million in cr...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 40
•
21:36
Episode 39 - The Southern Risk Management Education Center (SRMEC) and its Role in Agricultural Risk Management with Dr. Ron Rainey
This morning, we’re shining a light on the Southern Risk Management Education Center (SRMEC), led by Dr. Ron Rainey at the University of Arkansas. SRMEC is helping farmers across the Southeast tackle the everyday uncertainties in ag—from weathe...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 39
•
31:51