News

USDA price indices down on month

The USDA reports producers made and paid less in April than in March.

The department’s index of prices received lost 2.2% as a 4% decrease in the livestock index canceled out a 0.6% increase for crops. Prices were up for corn, milk, broiler chickens, and hay, down for cattle, hogs, market eggs, and lettuce. Marketings of broiler chickens, milk, oranges, and strawberries were higher, but cattle, corn, soybean, and hay marketings were down. The food commodities index for April declined 3.8% on the month.

The prices paid index was 0.4% lower, with lower prices for feeder cattle, feeder pigs, milk cows, and wages canceled out by higher costs for hay, forages, complete feeds, feed concentrates, and diesel.

Compared to a year ago, the prices received index was 3.1% lower, with crops down 3.1%, livestock losing 3.7%, and food commodities dropping 4.9%, while the prices paid index was up 1.7%.