As COVID cases and its complications continue, the U.S. economy continues to thrive, according to a new quarterly report from CoBank's Knowledge Exchange. Workers are steadily returning to the labor force and consumers are still spending confidently.

For 2022, the Purdue Agricultural Economics Report released on Jan. 13 cited inflation and COVID-19 uncertainty as key issues impacting food prices, general economy performance, farm costs and returns, farm financials and household economics.

Iowa State Agricultural Economist Bobby Martens has been researching U.S. ag supply chains for over 16 years. He will share his perspectives on supply chain management at the Farm Futures Business Summit and Ag Finance Boot Camp Jan. 19-21 in Iowa City, Iowa.

The Sandhills EVI for the farm equipment market, which includes 100-horsepower and greater tractors and combines, notched 15.5% year-over-higher auction values and 9.2% (or $15,000) year-over-year higher asking values in December.

In a recent analysis, agricultural economists projected very high break-even prices to cover total costs at $4.73 per bushel for corn and $11.06 per bushel for soybeans. While current fall bids are above break-even levels, the 2022 projects present risks.

As we prepare to ring in a new year, what trends will shape 2022? Sara Schafer at AgWeb talked with Jack Uldrich, a futurist and former naval intelligence officer, about what he sees impacting agriculture in the new year.