US farmers are about to get more government aid

Bloomberg reports that US farmers are about to get more government aid than at any time in the past decade, signaling the rising public cost of crop surpluses and cheap food. About $13.9 billion of net farm income this year will be federal payments, or about 25 percent of total profit estimated at $54.8 billion, according to estimates by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That's the biggest payout and highest ratio since 2006; Farmers will earn less than half what they did just three years ago before global surpluses sent commodity prices plunging. Corn and soybeans, the biggest U.S. crops, are so cheap that farmers are expecting to lose money on every acre they plant this season

And on that note investing in High-tech indoor farming is proving to be bad business as several key players who have spent millions in the start phase are quitting or repositioning their business model. Urban and vertical farms have been supported by the equity crowdfunding boom, but many have failed to show a profit due to the cost of high-tech implements required to monitor indoor conditions. The majority of theses start-ups grow lettuce and herbs.