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CoBank outlines economic factors to watch

An ag economist expects to see some themes of 2021 carry throughout the year ahead.

Tanner Ehmke with CoBank tells Brownfield, “Labor is that systemic issue that has reached every corner of the American economy and unfortunately that issue is not going away anytime soon.”

Ehmke says a lack of truck drivers is probably having the most widespread impact on the supply chain and will likely continue this year and potentially into 2023.

And he says omicron will likely impact the foodservice industry in some way as consumer psychology continues to evolve throughout the pandemic.

“Hospitals are full,” he says.  “We have a lot of restaurants out there concerned about their staff getting COVID or people just aren’t showing up to the restaurants anymore because if you do get a serious case of COVID, which is still possible, there might not be a hospital bed for you.”

Ehmke says inflation and high input costs are other areas impacting the ag economy he’ll be watching this year.

Brownfield interviewed Ehmkey on CoBank’s Quarterly Report and outlook for 2022.

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