Since March 2022, The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) has enacted eleven interest rate hikes accounting for a 525-basis point (5.25%) increase (FRED, 2023). We discuss how increasing this rate impacts agricultural lending in 2023.
The Fed Funds rate indirectly impacts the cost of other market interest rates such as those for agricultural operating loans. The FOMC influences rates by managing available cash (money supply) in the financial sector. In terms of supply and demand, if cash is limited then the cost to borrow available cash (interest) increases, and borrowing is deterred. The Fed utilizes these tools, in either direction, to slow down the economy in times of rising inflation or to reinvigorate economic activity in recessionary times. [READ MORE]