2018 Thanksgiving Reading List

Posted by David Widmar on November 19, 2018

Dear Readers,

Happy Thanksgiving! It’s hard to believe November is here and 2018 is nearly over. With a busy week of travel and turkey dinners ahead, we depart from our usual posts to share a fun reading list. Perhaps one of these stories might be helpful in defusing a tense family interaction.

Honeycrisp Apple: So Tasty, So Pricey, So Logistically Complicated!

American consumers love their Honeycrisp apples and are willing to pay a premium. Most of the premium, however, is needed to overcome the logistical nightmares of getting these apples into your local grocery store. From pruning to harvest and storage, the Honeycrisp requires a lot of extra work. The full story here.

The Best Thing Since Rotisserie Chicken

Costco sells a lot of $5 rotisserie chickens. How many, you ask? 60 million a year! Facing cost and supply-chain issues, Costco is getting into the production side of the business. An under-construction Nebraska-based facility will help keep Costco’s prices at $4.99 for the cooked, ready-to-eat chicken.

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like…Shopping

With the U.S. economy enjoying strong economic growth and low unemployment rates, holiday shopping is expected to be up 5% in 2018.

Closed stores won’t stop shoppers on Thanksgiving. Of those surveyed, 70% said they had plans to shop on Turkey Day. This is up from 40% just two years ago.

Farm Bill Limbo

Congress has to move forward with Farm Bill legislation for 2019. They have two paths forward: Pass a short-term extension of the 2014 Farm Bill or finalize a new 5-year Farm Bill. Which will it be? Opinions seem to differ as one expert gives passing a new Farm Bill a 65% chance of happening. Less optimistic, another gives it a “less than 50-50 chance.

Either way, it looks like ARC and PLC will still be around. While the programs will be very similar, the farm economy and commodity prices are in a much different place today.

One Small Leap for A Robot

Last month Boston Dynamic released a new video of Atlas. The video is impressive, but also check-out Atlas’s progress since 2013. Notice Atlas has lost the cables and suspension from above.

2018:

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LikxFZZO2sk”]

2013:

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD6Okylclb8″]

Looking for more? Check out our recent posts on fertilizer prices (which have turned higher), China’s acreage shortfall, and trends in seed (here and here) and crop protection expenses for corn and soybean production.

Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving,

Brent and David

Interested in learning more? Follow the Agricultural Economic Insights’ Blog as we track and monitor these trends throughout the years.  Also, follow AEI on Twitter and Facebook

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