Surviving the Downturn: Ag economists team up to show how we got here, and what the future holds
Sept. 8, 2026
By Mary Hightower
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts
- Surviving the Downturn available online
- Research and analysis look at causes and potential recovery routes
(384 words)
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Newsrooms: This is the first in a series of articles on ‘Surviving the Farm Economy Downturn’
LITTLE ROCK — As agriculture faces its darkest period since the 1980s, a team of economists from across the Southeast documented their answers to “how did we get here?” and “how do we recover?” into a sweeping publication titled “Surviving the Farm Economy Downturn: 2026 Update.”
“The number of farm bankruptcies is rising across the South, and much like previous downturns, producers are asking for advice on how to manage their way out of this hopefully short-term economic downturn,” Joe Outlaw and Bart L. Fischer, co-directors of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center, wrote about the publication in Southern Ag Today.
At 155 pages, the report from the Southern Risk Management Education Center and the Agricultural and Food Policy Center, features the work of 37 experts from the two centers, plus Auburn University, Mississippi State University, Texas A&M AgriLife, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, University of Maryland, and the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture.
The document is divided in six primary sections: Setting the Stage, Crop Market Outlooks, Livestock, Ag Lending/Credit/Crop Insurance, Strategies, and Resiliency. Each section contains from two to eight highly detailed articles.
SRMEC Director Ron Rainey said the project’s analyses come from a deep pool of expertise.
“This is a project led by Southern Risk Management Education Center and the Agricultural and Food Policy Center leadership with expertise from the Southern Extension Economics Committee,” Rainey said.
“Leadership at both centers started discussions in September 2025 and convened a meeting of committee members this February, where we announced the 60-day timeline for article first draft and chapter assignments,” Rainey said.
The first effort was published in 2018.
The publication was made possible by support from the Southern Risk Management Education Center, under project award Nos. 2021-70027-34722 and 2025-70027-45397, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
The Southern Risk Management Education Center is based at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. The Agricultural Food and Policy Center is housed at Texas A&M University.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at aaes.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land-grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 22 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact:
Nick Kordsmeier
nkordsme@uada.edu