By Abbie Schepps

In Brussels, earlier this month, thousands of European farmers protested to demand emergency aid to offset falling prices for milk, pork, and other products. Blame can be divided amongst many factors, but dairy farmers point fingers at a European Union decision earlier this year to end a quota system that has helped maintain prices. Now, agriculture ministers gathered to consider proposals by the European Commission with the hopes of promoting upward pressure on prices. A proposed plan will provide new funding to national governments and will hopefully halt price decreases by removing products from the market and placing them into storage. It remains to be seen how European farmers will fair, as market prices are not expected to increase until sometime next year. 

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October 01, 2015

By Aliza Kempner

Tension surrounding trade conflicts between Russia and Belarus continues to blossom: this time surrounding the potash industry, a fertilizer whose high price worldwide has remained afloat courtesy of a Belarusian cartel. Pressures from either side have taken an ugly turn, with Russia most recently imposing a slew of trade restrictions.

While the dispute has hurt Russian and Belarusian profits, farmers from Idaho to India have benefited from lower fertilizer prices. Potash serves as one of three main ingredients in widely-used fertilizer for corn and soybean yields, and the price for granular potash in the Midwest has fallen to around $400 a ton, from $420.

The New York Times highlights the details of the hostility between the political leaders and explains the potential windfall to American farmers.

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September 21, 2013