Ag Credit Conditions Improving, Though Slowly for Cattlemen

KANSAS CITY, MO – Agricultural credit conditions in the Tenth District continued to strengthen in the first quarter of 2021. The 10th District of the Federal Reserve is located in Kansas City and covers Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and portions of both western Missouri and northern New Mexico.

After a sharp rebound at the end of 2020, conditions in the broad agricultural economy continued to improve alongside additional increases in crop prices. According to the First Quarter Ag Survey of bankers in the region, the stronger profit potential for farm borrowers supported a second consecutive quarter of significant increases in farm income, loan repayment rates, and farmland values.

Overall, farm borrowers in the District were in a better financial position than at the beginning of 2020, but the pace of improvement was notably slower for livestock producers and for producers in areas affected by severe drought.

Cattle prices remained below pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter, and the scope and severity of the drought was a major concern in western states.

However, government programs continued to provide support amid these challenges and the prolonged buildup of financial pressure in recent years appears to have eased considerably.
(SOURCE: All Ag News)