Author: staff

1. Wheat, Corn Futures Lower Overnight Wheat and corn futures were lower in overnight trading amid favorable weather in several growing areas around the world.  Rain fell overnight in parts of the Oklahoma panhandle and more showers are forecast for the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.  More rain is projected for the area early next week, the agency said.  In Australia, limited rains this week will allow farmers into fields to harvest their wheat crop, said Don Keeney, an agricultural meteorologist with Maxar.  “Mostly dry weather should prevail through Friday,” he said. “Light rain should favor eastern Queensland.” …

1. Soybean Futures Higher in Overnight Trading Soybean futures were modestly higher in overnight trading on technical buying and dry weather in the U.S. Midwest.  Investors who were short the market, or had bet on lower prices, likely jumped in and bought back contracts after prices dropped around 1% in the past week.  About 66% of a nine-state region that includes Iowa and Illinois, the largest producers of both soybeans and corn, was suffering from drought conditions last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.  That’s up from 53% a week earlier and only 3.9% three months ago.  Eighty-three percent…

As of Oct. 27, 56% of the U.S. winter wheat crop has emerged, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in the latest Crop Progress report. This is 5 percentage points behind the national five-year average. Emergence has begun in each of the top 18 winter wheat growing states, with California last at just 10% emerged. North Carolina is close behind, with 11% of the winter wheat crop having emerged.  Planting is still underway in 17 of the top 18 states, with only Washington having all of its crop in the ground so far. Nationwide, 80% of winter wheat planting is…

Iowa corn growers have harvested 84% of their crop so far, over 20 percentage points ahead of the five-year average. Soybean harvest across the state is even closer to being wrapped up for the season: 96% of the crop had been harvested as of Oct. 27, outpacing the five-year average by 10 percentage points. That’s all according to the most recent USDA Crop Progress report.  State Climatologist Justin Glisan reported widespread rainfall returned to Iowa the week ending Oct. 27, the most falling in the east-central part of the state. Glisan added some striking context to the amount of rainfall:…

Ag Leader has announced its next generation of InCommand cab displays with the InCommand Go 16 and Go 10.  The new InCommand displays are high-resolution touchscreens with faster processing that provide real-time information to farmers from the comfort of their cabs.  The InCommand Go 16 and Go 10 are Ag Leader’s first new displays in nearly 10 years, upgrading the functions, interface, and technology from their InCommand 1200 and 800 displays. “Farmers appreciate that they can invest in a technology platform that is going to last and give them value for years, so we have the same vision in mind…

Fields with winter annual weeds going into winter can be difficult to manage in spring. Not only can dense mats of winter annuals make planting challenging but they can also take up soil moisture and nutrients, restricting access for developing crops. University of Missouri research found that soil moisture content at planting was as much as 13% higher in corn and 6% higher in soybeans where winter annual weeds were removed with a fall or early spring preplant herbicide application compared to locations with a dense cover of winter annual weed species. Similarly, Kansas State University research found the average…

Most corn and soybean fields in the U.S. are planted with herbicide-resistant crop varieties. However, the evolution of superweeds that have developed resistance to common herbicides is jeopardizing current weed management strategies. Agricultural robotics for mechanical weeding is an emerging technology that could potentially provide a solution. A study this month from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at the types of farmers and fields more likely to adopt weeding robots and at what stage of resistance development. “The exclusive reliance on herbicides for weed control has led to the appearance of superweeds, and we don’t have anything in the…

December corn is down less than a penny this morning. January soybeans are up 4¢. December wheat contracts are lower. CBOT wheat is down 7¼¢. KC wheat is down 8¢. Minneapolis wheat is down 7¢. Earlier this morning USDA announced unknown destinations are buying 150,000 metric tons of soybean cake and meal for the 2024/2025 marketing year. USDA also released the weekly U.S. Export Sales report this morning. In analyzing the report, The Brock Report said: “Net U.S. corn export sales for the week ended Oct. 24 came in at 92.2 million bushels compared with trade expectations that ran 71…

Payments totaling $235 million are being issued this week to producers hit by natural disasters, including Hurricane Milton in Florida, said the Agriculture Department. The payments make up the bulk of $375 million in spending announced for various USDA programs on Wednesday. Some $143 million in crop insurance indemnities will be paid to Florida producers for wind damage from Hurricane Milton in early October, said the USDA. An additional $92 million will be sent to livestock producers who were forced to buy feed because of forage lost to drought and wildfires in 2022. In addition, the USDA awarded $120 million…

Industrial mechanic Dan Osborn, an independent with a populist platform, could throw a wrench into Republican hopes of gaining control of the Senate with his campaign against Sen. Deb Fischer in Nebraska. Fischer, a Republican running for her third term, is favored but by ever-narrower margins. Osborn, a former union leader, supports a high minimum wage, tax cuts for small businesses and the middle class, and the “right to repair” farm equipment, cars, and electronics. He’s “fundamentally in favor of the Second Amendment” and also “reasonable gun safety measures,” according to a section of his platform titled “Keep government out…