June 24, 2026 was National Upcycling Day, in the month of June that was Food Upcycle Month. On social media that day, I saw a comment by a food waste group that “food waste is a feedstock.” In food waste … Continue reading →
We do not live in a straight-line world. Although food markets are much easier to navigate in 2 dimensions. A linear, food industry supply chain makes intuitive sense when thinking about inputs > farming > processing > retail (Model #1 … Continue reading →
The American Farm Bureau Federation, Market Intel, and Danny Munch, just released a market outlook article on US Catfish Farmers: America’s Top Farm-Raised Fish Faces Growing Pressures. The current US Catfish farmer story is an account of grit and determination. … Continue reading →
In the throes of providing leadership on contract poultry grower challenges in the late 1990s, a brilliant mentor, Larry Cole, PhD., challenged me on whether I wanted to be 1) part of the defining the problem or 2) part of … Continue reading →
Last year, I became aware of ReFED.org and their work on food waste. Their report, “From Surplus to Solutions: 2025 ReFED U.S. Food Waste Report,” was popular in the food waste circles. It is an impressive document and an even … Continue reading →
Serving as the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Thanksgiving economist in the 1990s was a pleasure. The cost of food thirty years ago was generally good news, so there was no downside. Unlike most of the more contested issues I worked … Continue reading →
Thanksgiving arrives with an annual focus on food prices. We host friends and family at home with lots of prepared food. One of the annual food price traditions is the American Farm Bureau Federation, Thanksgiving Survey. Regular readers know that … Continue reading →
New market demand for renewable natural gas (RNG), or biogenic methane, is growing. First, the EPA AgStar historical farm digester data was charted to illustrate the rapid recent growth in farm digesters. Next, the EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) … Continue reading →
Service in the US Peace Corps in 1982 to 1984 was a 27-month investment in my life more than 40 years ago that continues to pay dividends today. A significant life lesson for me has been that substantive improvements in … Continue reading →
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) carries significant weight in the flow of decisions and confidence in the US economy. Does the CPI mirror authentic food purchases? YES! Are household food expenditures and the Food … Continue reading →
