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AgFax Weekend: Commodity Price Spike - What Happened?
AgFax Weekend: Commodity Price Spike – What Happened? May 7, 2021May 7, 2021 AgFax Staff Container ships, San Francisco Bay. Photo: NOAA
DTN Grain Close: Futures Race to New Highs; China Buys US New-Crop Corn
©Debra L Ferguson Stock Photography Old- and new-crop corn and soybean futures rose sharply in Thursday overnight trade and again Friday, setting new contract highs and led by November beans. World veg oils — including palm oil, canola and bean oil — all set new highs. Minneapolis wheat soared to another new high on expanding drought in the Northern Plains, but only finished slightly higher.
DTN Cotton Close: Ignores Other Markets, Finishes Mixed
Cotton coming up in rolled cover crop. Photo: Bill Robertson, University of Arkansas Despite strong performances in the grains, energies and precious metals, cotton futures were lower all day. In fact, even the falling U.S. dollar had no positive effect on the market. Cotton has some concerns that India’s COVID-19 crisis will deleteriously affect neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, where a huge amount of textile spinning is conducted.
Biden Conservation Plan Dubbed “America the Beautiful” - DTN
Prairie strips running between farm fields as part of the Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips conservation program. Photo: Iowa State University After speculation and concerns over President Joe Biden’s goal to conserve 30% of U.S. land and waters by 2030, the White House on Thursday released a broad outline to encourage but not require greater conservation efforts across the country.
DTN Livestock Midday: Feeders Follow Modest Corn Rally
Cattle feed lot. Photo: K-State Research and Extension - Creative Commons The feeder cattle contracts aren’t going to let Friday pass them by without taking advantage of the market’s opportunity to rally. GENERAL COMMENTS: If anything, the live cattle contracts should be encouraging the feeder cattle contracts to trade higher as the market has had the supportive nature of an exceptional boxed beef market. But Friday’s developments aren’t panning out to be quite that.
DTN Grain Midday: Soybeans Poised to Climb Higher Into Weekend
Soybeans. ©Debra L Ferguson Stock Photography Corn is 3 to 4 cents higher with new crop flat, soybeans are 8 to 10 cents higher with new crop 12 to 14 cents higher and wheat narrowly mixed. MARKET SUMMARY: The U.S. stock market is firmer with the Dow up 140 points. The U.S. Dollar Index is 0.65 lower. Interest rate products are mixed. Energies are flat. Livestock trade is mostly higher with cattle leading. Precious metals are stronger with gold up $19.20.
Texas: High Plains Wheat Plot Tour, Bushland, May 20
Field tour of wheat variety trials. Photo: Kay Ledbetter, Texas AgriLife Extension While COVID-19 precautions may limit some activities, Texas A&M AgriLife is once again inviting producers to attend a wheat plot tour in person near Bushland on May 20 to look at variety performance and hear updates. The free plot tour will be at the Conservation and Production Laboratory, which is operated by Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service.
DTN Cotton Open: Lower on Concerns Over India
The cotton market is lower Friday morning as COVID-19 infections have nearly paralyzed India. The growing concern is whether India will detrimentally affect its neighbors. That part of the world is a major spoke in the global “spinning wheel.” Cotton was off as much as 1 cent earlier despite the fact the Chicago grains continue to run higher. The Labor Department reported its jobs data for April and expectations were wildly erroneous.
Drought Monitor Weekly: Large Pockets of Severe Weather
This U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) week saw an active weather pattern with severe weather observed across portions of the central and southern Plains, Texas, mid-South, Midwest, and the Northeast. In Texas, 7-day rainfall accumulations ranged from 2 to 10+ inches leading to significant improvement in drought-related conditions across the state.
Moving Grain: Ag Industry Urges DOT To Protect U.S. Exporters
Port of New Orleans - Mississippi River. ©Debra L Ferguson Stock Photography Agriculture Industry Urges DOT To Protect U.S. Exporters On April 27, 2021, 300 agriculture and forest product companies sent a letter to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Secretary urging DOT to help protect their export businesses by intervening with vessel-operating common carriers (VOCCs).
California Almonds: May Spray Considerations in a Tight Fiscal Year
Over the past month I have received numerous phone calls and texts asking different versions of the same question: When almond prices are low, how can a grower cut costs? This question is often a tricky one to answer because in almond production, you have to spend money to make money. Trying to save money by reducing nitrogen or water costs can lead to yield losses and lower returns, just as skipping a fungicide spray can lead to losses from disease.
Minnesota Wheat: Checking Stands and Replanting Decisions
Young wheat stand The wheat that was seeded immediately after Easter started to emerge by the middle of last week. Pretty much the same day as was predicted by the accumulated growing degree model for wheat that is available on the NDAWN system. The wheat that was seeded in the week of April 20 is, as predicted by the NDAWN system, just about to peek through. I do not expect stand issues despite the very cool conditions we have had to endure this past month.
Webinar: Corn, Soybean Outlook - May Update - May 14
©Debra L Ferguson Stock Photography Purdue ag economists Michael Langemeier, Nathanael Thompson, and James Mintert will host a free Corn and Soybean Outlook monthly webinar series for the remainder of 2021. Each webinar will follow release of that month’s U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Crop Production and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) reports.
DTN Grain Midday: Corn, Soybeans Scoring New Contract Highs
©Debra L Ferguson Stock Photography Corn is 6 to 8 cents higher with new crop 14 to 16 cents higher, soybeans are 24 to 26 cents higher with new crop 21 to 23 cents higher and wheat 1 to 3 cents higher. MARKET SUMMARY: The U.S. stock market is firmer with the Dow up 150 points. The U.S. Dollar Index is 0.38 lower. Interest rate products are higher. Energies are weaker with crude down $0.60. Livestock trade is weaker. Precious metals are stronger with gold up $32.20.
Kentucky Corn, Soybeans: Conditions Suitable for Increased Mollusk Activity
Rainy and cloudy days with soggy and cool nights are favorable for mollusk activity. These conditions describe the current weather in Kentucky, which has been conducive to the damage these organisms are causing to soybean seedlings. Last week, I heard reports from two county Extension agents (Lyon and Daviess Counties) on damages they have been observing in commercial soybean fields. Key Features of Slugs and Snail Slugs and snails are mollusks that do not have legs.
Minnesota: Be on Lookout for Black Cutworms
Black cutworm larvae. Photo: J. Obermeyer, Perdue University Black cutworm (BCW) moth arrivals into Minnesota increased during the week of April 24 to 30. Southerly wind flows from April 26 to 28 brought moths to southern Minnesota and particularly to an area in SW and SC Minnesota. The area where moth captures were large enough to indicate the potential for damage from larvae (nine or more moths/2 nights) includes Nobles, Cottonwood, Watonwan, Martin, and neighboring counties.
DTN Cotton Open: Higher on Strong Exports
Photo: Kay Ledbetter, Texas AgriLife Extension The cotton market is trying to slough off poor sales and focus on stronger shipments Thursday. USDA reported sales below last week’s 77,000 bales but did acknowledge marketing-year-high shipments. That latter part, along with sketchy rain outlooks, is helping to buoy cotton higher Thursday morning.
Why Have Commodity Prices All Spiked Significantly Higher? - DTN
Corn harvest. Photo: Kostic Dusan, 123rf Let’s start by agreeing that $7 corn isn’t necessarily a great thing. It isn’t great for livestock feeders, it isn’t great for ethanol plants and it isn’t great for drivers planning summer road trips. And because $7 corn isn’t great for all these customers and customers’ customers, it’s not that great for corn farmers, either, who may lose some customers.
Kansas: Spring Crops Field Day, Parsons, May 19
Photo: University of Kentucky After months of hosting educational events virtually because of COVID-19, K-State Research and Extension will host its Spring Crops Field Day in person on Wednesday, May 19 at its Southeast Research and Extension Center, 25092 Ness Road in Parsons. Registration is 8:30-9 a.m. for the program, which includes: Tour of Wheat Variety Plots (41 varieties) – Allan Fritz, K-State wheat breeder, Lonnie Mengarelli, K-State research assistant and seed company representatives.
DTN Livestock Open: Futures Might Extend Wednesday Gains
Higher livestock futures across the board Wednesday will hopefully translate into continued gains Thursday. However, the export sales report will be released Thursday, morning which could have an influence on price direction. Cattle: Steady Futures: Mixed Live Equiv: $223.12 +$2.24* Hogs: Higher Futures: Higher Lean Equiv: $118.52 +$0.73** * based on formula estimating live cattle equivalent of gross packer revenue. (The Live Cattle Equiv.
DTN Grain Open: Oils Lead Markets Higher
©Debra L Ferguson Stock Photography Pre-6 a.m. CDT prices, CME Globex: July corn is up 4 3/4 cents, July soybeans are up 17 1/2 cents and July KC wheat is down 1 1/4 cents. CME Globex Recap: Early Thursday, Dow Jones futures are starting a little higher with no strong direction from either Europe or Thursday’s return of Asian stocks. Wednesday’s G7 meeting expressed concern about human rights abuses in China and voiced support for Taiwan.
Mississippi: Dealing with Stink Bugs in Corn, Thrips in Cotton - Podcast
Mississippi: Dealing with Stink Bugs in Corn, Thrips in Cotton – Podcast May 5, 2021 From Mississippi State University Extension Brown stink bug on corn seedling. Photo: Mississippi State University Don Cook and Whitney Crow hit the Crop Doctors’ Podcast studio to talk about stinkbugs in corn, modeling thrips pressure in cotton, thrips management in cotton. Jeff Gore throws in 2 cents toward the end.
Texas Crop Progress Update
Cotton planting. ©Debra L Ferguson Stock Photography AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries: CENTRAL No report. ROLLING PLAINS Conditions were favorable for producers. Areas received beneficial rainfall, but some areas experienced severe weather with high winds and hail. Farmers continued to prepare cotton fields for planting after the rainfall by putting out preemergent herbicide and listing fields in hopes to begin planting in the next few weeks.
DTN Cotton Close: Market Has Sleepy Session
The cotton market traded higher, then lower, then higher again in what can only be described as a “sleepy session.” The market was in slow-motion as it awaits Thursday export-sales report. Additionally, even though the Chicago grains finished higher, they were not as emotional as they had been running. For the sales number, traders would like to see an amount exceeding 100,000 bales. That might allow the market to regain some bullish momentum.
DTN Grain Close: Corn, Wheat March Higher With Most Commodities
Young corn rows. Photo: University of Minnesota July contracts of corn and all three wheats closed higher Wednesday with ongoing support from dry conditions in central Brazil and the northwestern U.S. Plains. July soybean oil posted a slight loss, one of the few on the commodity board early Wednesday afternoon. GENERAL COMMENTS: July corn closed up 11 3/4 cents and December corn was up 24 1/4 cents. July soybeans closed up 4 cents and November soybeans were up 19 1/2 cents.
Corn Trades Above $7 - U.S. Corn Acres a Source of Speculation
Young corn rows. ©Debra L Ferguson Bloomberg writers Breanna T Bradham, Kim Chipman, and Fabiana Batista reported on Tuesday that, “Corn futures surged above $7 a bushel for the first time in more than eight years as lack of rainfall in Brazil added to supply concerns. “Corn climbed as much as 3.6% to $7.04 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade, the highest since March 2013. The futures for July delivery pared gains to close the day with a 2.5% advance at $6.9675.
DTN Livestock Midday: Steady Corn Market Allows Modest Cattle Rally
Cattle feed lot. Photo: K-State Research and Extension - Creative Commons With the corn complex holding mostly steady, the cattle contracts have been granted the chance to trade slightly higher after Tuesday’s sharply lower close. GENERAL COMMENTS: This week’s trade hasn’t been for the lackadaisical as the week’s developments have been quick to change and in drastic measures.
DTN Grain Midday: New Crop Corn, Soybeans Higher
Highboy spraying seedling corn. ©Debra L Ferguson Corn is 2 to 3 cents lower with new crop 8 to 9 cents higher, soybeans are 1 to 2 cents higher with new crop 4 to 6 cents higher and wheat 4 to 8 cents higher. MARKET SUMMARY: The U.S. stock market is firmer with the Dow up 70 points. The U.S. Dollar Index is 0.03 lower. Interest rate products are mixed. Energies are higher with crude up $0.85. Livestock trade is mixed. Precious metals are mixed with gold up $7.20.
Keep Dakota Access Pipeline Open, Urges Corps of Engineers - DTN
Keystone Pipeline Photo: Ray Bodden, Creative Commons The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommends leaving the Dakota Access Pipeline open while it conducts an environmental analysis that could last into March 2022. The Corps stated this position in a court filing in federal court on a case that could eventually lead to the pipeline’s closing.
DTN Cotton Open: Market Higher, Awaits Exports
Cotton coming up in rolled cover crop. Photo: Bill Robertson, University of Arkansas The cotton market continues to seesaw about as it awaits Thursday’s exports-sales data, and Friday’s job report. Additionally, the market is being undergirded by the unrelentingly bullish Chicago grains. Naturally, traders would like to see a substantial sales number to get business back on track. For the jobs report, some economists are forecasting nearly 1 million new jobs were created last month.
Corn Planting Rate Fastest Since 2015
Bloomberg writers Kim Chipman and Dominic Carey reported on Monday that, “U.S. corn farmers are planting at the fastest pace since 2015, a move that could finally bring some relief to a market that’s battling tight supplies. “Sowing of America’s most widely grown crop is 46% complete, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday. That marks an increase of 29 percentage points versus last week, the biggest such advance in six years. All eyes in the food world are currently on America’s corn belt.
Florida: How’s Your Crop Fertility After Recent Heavy Rains?
Partially flooded field following heavy rains. Photo: Mark Mauldin, University of Florida With the 2021 crop season upon us, many people have already spread fertilizer and either already planted or are in the process now. But heavy rains, on Saturday, April 24, 2021, brought up to 7 inches of rain to many crop fields in the Southeast. So, the question becomes what, if anything, should we do about fertilizer after all that rain? A 6” rainfall over one day is not like a 6” rainfall over 3 days.
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