Brazil’s macroeconomic policies — currency devaluation, in particular — have played an important role in its position as one of the top exporters of agricultural products, including soybeans, corn, cotton, sugar, coffee, orange juice and meat.
U.S. agricultural exports to China are projected to total $13 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2020, up from $10.1 billion in fiscal year 2019. This rise in expected exports is primarily due to growth in Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans and pork with expected additional purchases of sorghum and cotton also playing a role.
Soybeans are the largest and most concentrated segment of global agricultural trade and account for 18% of total U.S. crop receipts, second only to corn (25% of crop receipts). As a result, factors that impact soybean sales can ultimately have a profound effect on farm machinery sales, one way or another.
“The 2019 farm economy is going to be influenced by several ongoing issues. Those include the global trade war; strong U.S. and world economies; favorable 2018 weather with record crop yields; and a new farm bill covering the 2019 to 2023 crops,” says Chris Hurt, professor of agricultural economics and editor of the Purdue Agricultural Economics Report: 2019 Agricultural Outlook.
According to MarketWatch, China’s boycott of U.S. soybeans made a significant contribution to the country’s October trade report. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau, the deficit increased from $54.6 billion in September (revised) to $55.5 billion in October, as exports decreased and imports increased.
According to the Economic Research Service of USDA May 2018 Oil Crops Outlook report, in the 2018-19 marketing year (Sept.–Aug.), total U.S. exports of soybeans (whole, meal and oil) are expected to increase by over 8% provided normal trade relations with other countries.
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In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we take an initial look at the Dealer Business Outlook & Trends Report and what dealers are forecasting for 2025.