Journal Article
Financing young and beginning farmers
Kauffman, Nathan (2013)
Attracting and retaining the next generation of farm operators has been a persistent struggle in U.S. agriculture. Over the past century, productivity gains in U.S. agriculture have led to the consolidation of farm enterprises into larger operations, limiting opportunities for farm ownership and triggering an exodus of young farmers from the industry. Although the recent surge in farm prosperity has rekindled interest in U.S. agricultural production, the increasing age of farmers and rising costs of farming have generated concerns about the ability of the next generation to enter the farm ...
Main Street Economist , Issue 2

Journal Article
"Producing" Growth
Kauffman, Nathan; McCoy, John (2024-07-15)
In contrast to the nation as a whole, goods-producing industries have accounted for much of the recent economic growth in Nebraska. Persistent demand growth for food, alongside construction, have been significant drivers of growth, both recently and longer-term. Moreover, a concentration in manufacturing has generally been a source of strength for Nebraska's economy, particularly in rural areas.
Nebraska Economist

Journal Article
Have extended trading hours made agricultural commodity markets riskier?
Kauffman, Nathan (2013-07)
Traders in agricultural commodity markets view volatility differently depending on their objectives. Producers generally dislike volatility and uncertainty and they trade on futures markets to lessen the risk associated with price changes. Nonproducers?traders with no direct involvement in producing or using the commodities themselves?seek to profit from uncertainty by predicting the path of futures prices. Producers are concerned that a recent extension of trading hours at commodity exchanges could lead to heightened volatility since trading is now taking place during the release of key ...
Economic Review , Issue Q III , Pages 67-94

Journal Article
Will farm profits shift in 2013?
Kauffman, Nathan (2012)
Despite a severe drought, profits in the U.S. farm sector soared in 2012. Beginning in late June, U.S. crops and pastures wilted under one of the worst droughts in history. Although total farm incomes remained high, the drought exacerbated a widening gulf in profitability between the crop and livestock sectors.
Main Street Economist , Issue 6

Journal Article
Markets, not mandates, shape ethanol production
Kauffman, Nathan (2012)
The 2012 drought has reignited the food versus fuel debate. After cutting U.S. corn production below recent years? consumption, the drought sparked a U.S. grain shortage and sent global food prices soaring. As the grain shortage intensified, pressure to relieve the shortage by easing ethanol mandates mounted.
Main Street Economist , Issue 5

Journal Article
The Outlook for Farmland Values amid Higher Interest Rates
Kauffman, Nathan; Cowley, Cortney (2019-04-10)
In 2018, the spread between returns to farmland owners and benchmark interest rates narrowed to its lowest level in more than a decade in the Tenth Federal Reserve District. At the same time, farmland sales increased in some states for the first time in several years. Together, the reduced spread and indications of increased sales in some regions suggest the potential for lower farmland values moving forward.
Economic Bulletin , Issue April 10, 2019 , Pages 3

Journal Article
Farm investment and leverage cycles: will this time be different?
Kauffman, Nathan; Henderson, Jason (2013-04)
A wave of capital investment has spread throughout the U.S. farm sector in recent years. With booming farm profits, farmers have made a range of real estate investments, building new structures such as grain bins and machine sheds and improving productivity through expanded pivot irrigation and tiling. ; Exploring the historical patterns of U.S. farm capital investment and leverage, authors Henderson and Kauffman consider the prospects for another boom-and-bust cycle if historical patterns re-emerge. ; Over recent years, elevated farm profits have enabled farmers to keep leverage ratios near ...
Economic Review , Issue Q II , Pages 89-114

Journal Article
Manufacturing nudges Nebraska’s economy forward
Kauffman, Nathan; Akers, Maria (2013-06)
Nebraska Economist

Journal Article
A Tale of Two Economies: Farmers Struggle despite Strong U.S. Economy
Kauffman, Nathan; Jenkins, Suzanne (2018)
Dropping commodity prices have caused U.S. farm income to plunge in recent years. Relatively steady farmland prices, however, have helped farmers stay solvent.
The Regional Economist , Volume 26 , Issue 3

Journal Article
Initial impacts of the 2012 drought
Kauffman, Nathan; Henderson, Jason (2012)
Main Street Economist , Issue 3