Your American Farm Bureau Federation economics team continues to analyze a wide range of topics, publishing another 86 Market Intel articles in 2025. Over the past eight years, the team has published 828 articles, with both the breaking news and more evergreen articles garnering over 533,000 views in 2025 and becoming long-lasting resources. Here are the top 10 most popular Market Intel articles published in 2025:


10. One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Senate Edition

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was a sweeping piece of legislation addressing important tax policy, the farm safety net and other investments for rural America. As the bill moved through the reconciliation process, your AFBF economists covered the changes in each step. This edition unpacked how Senate committees’ versions of the bill differed from the House of Representative’s initial proposal in June.


9. Understanding the New Tariffs

President Trump announced sweeping tariffs on April 2. This Market Intel outlined the early outlook for how reciprocal tariffs would be implemented and impact American agricultural markets.


8. Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Analysis: Moderate Decline

In 2025, AFBF conducted its 40th annual Thanksgiving dinner survey, a Farm Bureau tradition looking at the price of some holiday staples. This year, the cost of classic dishes for 10 people fell 5% but remained higher than just four years ago. The survey highlights how the realities of farm country translate to consumers.


7. Foreign Footprints: Trends in U.S. Agricultural Land Ownership

Foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land, including timberland, remains a controversial topic, fueled by concerns about the implications of foreign investment in and control of a valuable U.S. asset. This article unpacked trends in foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land, including shifting patterns in acquisition types.


6. Economics of U.S. Beef and Cattle Market

Amid record prices for beef and cattle, farmers and ranchers still face tight margins. This article explored how standard market factors, paired with potential market interventions, add up for cattle production and beef availability in the U.S.


5. Agricultural Trade: China Steps Back from U.S. Soybeans

China has steadily reduced its reliance on the United States for soybeans, turning instead to Brazil, Argentina and other suppliers. This article outlined how the slowdown of sales in 2025 was not an isolated event, but rather part of a longer trajectory of China’s purchasing diversification, and what that means for American farmers and markets.


4. Disaster Assistance Fuels 2025’s Farm Income Rebound

USDA’s 2025 farm income forecast projected a significant increase in net farm income for 2025, but disaster assistance, which had not yet been distributed, drove these increases, creating a misleading image of the U.S. farm economy. In reality, low commodity prices and uncertain market conditions continue to drag the farm economy down.

3. One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Agricultural Provisions

This first Market Intel article in the OBBBA series analyzed initial proposals from the House committees.


2. One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Final Agricultural Provisions

This edition of the OBBBA series explained the final changes signed into law by President Trump on July 4.


1. Egg Prices Continue Setting Records

Egg prices broke records in 2025, rising over 350% from the spring of 2024 to the spring of 2025. This Market Intel explored the main causes behind this spike: inflation and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks.


Honorable Mention: Farmers Head Into 2025 With Another Farm Bill Extension, Aid

On Dec. 21, 2024, the American Relief Act of 2025 was passed and signed into law, including $33.5 billion in aid for farmers and ranchers and a second extension of the 2018 farm bill. This Market Intel broke down what these investments meant for farmers and ranchers heading into 2025, many of which led to the trends and policies seen this year.


Honorable Mention: U.S. Cattle Inventory Smallest in 73 Years

Cattle and beef markets continued to dominate the news in 2025. The January 2024 Cattle Inventory report indicated a decline in cattle numbers in the U.S. unseen in the 21st century. This article overviewed the trends expected in 2024 cattle markets which have only continued into 2025.


Thank You for Another Year, and See You in 2026

As we close the book on 2025, we look back at a year of many changes and challenges in farm country, from low commodity prices and persistently increasing input costs to market instability and many other hurdles. But we also carry successes and optimism into 2026: many of the investments in OBBBA will finally make it to farm households in 2026, and changes to farm guestworker programs are already underway for the upcoming season.

Next year will surely bring its own trials and achievements. Your AFBF economics team will be here each step of the way with digestible insights and analysis. We hope you follow along, readers! Thank you for another year of Market Intel, and happy 2026!

Did you see any topics we did not cover? Or have ideas for the new year? Shoot any of us an email, available on our author pages, along with our main areas of expertise.