The recent wave of net zero targets has put the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C within striking distance. The Climate Action Tracker (CAT) has calculated that global warming by 2100 could be as low as 2.1°C as a result of all the net zero pledges announced as of November 2020.

There is no question, 2020 has been all over the map, but with this unprecedented year coming to a close, what should agriculture be prepared for in the next decade and how will this year’s pandemic influence the next 10 years?

After months of negotiations, Congress passed a $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus package with much-needed financial relief for agricultural producers, funding for food assistance programs, enhancements to the Paycheck Protection Program and funding for enhanced broadband access, as well as additional financial resources for agricultural research and farmer stress assistance programs, among others.

Turns out 2020 was a good year for Big Ag.

While Covid-19 shut down most of the world in 2020, whiskey aged in rickhouses all the same. The market for American brown spirits hardly cooled off. The boom in consumer interest continued throughout the pandemic, fueled in part by so many people staying home and needing a drink. This affected American whiskey trends.

The US economy continues to outperform expectations as stimulus funds are fueling robust consumer spending.

Over the past decade, U.S. beef consumption dropped 15 percent while broiler consumption increased 5 percent.

Serious drought was enhanced by blistering heat at times in June from the western United States into western Canada.

Wheat futures’ summer of impressive gains tied to global supply concerns received yet another bounce in an August surprise. Market analysts interviewed by Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, laid out paths by which futures could now dip lower into the fourth quarter and perhaps shoot higher in the early months of 2022.

The grains finished out the last full week of August posting solid gains with old crop soybeans leading the charge. Strong export demand continues to help the soybean market push higher.