The 'Big 12'; Top six stories for 2008 and our candidates for the top six of 2009

摘要

Looking back, 2008 was an amazing year for agriculture. Prices for most major crops soared to record-high levels before dropping precipitously in late summer and early fall. Input prices followed a similar pattern, with fertilizer fuel prices exploding at spring planting time, and then falling back by late in the year. Even with the high production costs; net cash farm income for 2008 is projected at a record high above 90 billion dollar and farmland values have continued to rise even as housing prices have dropped. The very strong economic performance enjoyed in 2008 may not be matched during the next few years of the forecast. Here are the six biggest stories of 2008 and our best guess as to what will prove to be the big six for 2009.