USDA forecasting some 2014 price reliefUSDA forecasting some 2014 price relief

On May 10, the Agriculture Department released its first forecasts for 2014, with the biggest change coming to the most important crop. The USDA said corn prices will fall 32 percent to $4.70 per bushel, on average, in crop-year 2013-2014. Sharply lower corn and soy-meal prices are expected to spur higher poultry production. The USDA is projecting broiler prices, which will jump 8 percent to $102 per hundredweight in 2013, to drop 10 percent to $92 per hundredweight in 2014.

Meanwhile, beef prices just keep going up. Choice steer prices are forecast to rise 4.6 percent to $128.50 per hundredweight in 2013 and jump another 3.5 percent to $133 in 2014.

The USDA is forecasting dairy prices will drop roughly 3 percent in 2014, reversing the pr...