Opportunities Discussed

Worn hydraulic hoses, gears and other parts and tools littered Jeff Jorgenson’s shop floor last week as he readied his soybean planter for spring. It will take Jorgenson several weeks to perform a thorough pre-season check of the planter and install new equipment. This year he’s adding Precision Planting vDrive, an electric drive system, and new Yetter spiked closing wheels to each row unit. Parts will be greased and replaced as needed.

Photo: Kansas State University It was a dismal day for the cattle contracts as both the live and feeder cattle closed lower, and the cash cattle market weakened yet again. GENERAL COMMENTS: The lean hog contracts close mixed, but the cattle contracts closed lower as the doggish morale around this week’s cash cattle market weighs on the market. Hog prices closed higher on the National Direct Afternoon Hog Report, up $1.93 with a weighted average of $84.68 on 15,299 head.

Defoliated cotton field ready for picking. Photo: Lance Clemmons, GW Farms. The market tried for a recovery rally midsession but succumbed to new selling to finish markedly lower Thursday. Overall, cotton remains in an overbought condition dating back to the first of the year. Thus, after its strong rise during January and February, that condition became even more aggravated, thus the market suffered a sharp setback late last month.