May corn up 1 at $3.7225 May beans up 1 at $9.0675 The DOW is up USD is weaker Crude oil up $.34 at $59.43 Good morning, Corn traders continue to debate early U.S. spring weather and overall planting conditions. Bulls are pointing to flooding and extremely wet conditions in many important production areas. Bears […]

Hog prices have been struggling so far this year. USDA reports that live prices in January and February have averaged below $40 for the first time in over a decade. In February, USDA estimated live prices were $39.04 per hundredweight, the lowest February price in 16 years dating back to 2003. A bearish price story […]

Last week the USDA released its first estimate of net farm income for 2019. While this is an early look, there few things that caught our attention. This week’s post reveals a few key insights, especially about 2018. Net Farm Income Figure 1 shows real – or inflation-adjusted- net farm income from 1929 to 2019 (2019 […]

As outdoor temperatures increase, stored grain requires attention to prevent losses, says Ken Hellevang, North Dakota State University Extension agricultural engineer and grain drying expert. The stored grain temperature increases in the spring not only due to an increase in outdoor temperatures but also due to solar heat gain on the bin. Solar energy produces […]

Average Illinois soybean yield first exceeded 50 bushels per acre in 2004, when it was 50.5 bushels. It was 51.5 bushels in 2010, and 50 bushels in 2013. Over the five years beginning in 2014, it was 56, 56, 59, 58, and, in 2018, an astonishing 65 bushels per acre. Yield in each of the […]

A chemical compound typically cast as a supporting actor in corn’s defense against a tiny pest might instead take a leading role, says a research-based rewrite from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The Nebraska study showed that spraying a corn plant with one of its own compounds — 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid, or OPDA — can help deter […]

Last week, China purchased U.S. soybean and sorghum exports.  Nonetheless, farmers remained concerned about a trade resolution between the U.S. and China as more melancholy reports emerge about progress in the on-going negotiations. China Purchases Soybeans, and Sorghum Reuters writer Karl Plume reported late last week that, “Chinese state-owned firms bought at least 500,000 tonnes of […]

Iowa State University researchers concluded from a long-term field study that poultry manure, when applied at a rate to meet crop nitrogen (N) requirements, can reduce nitrate loss and achieve equal or better yields in corn-soybean production systems. This research effort, Long-term Effects of Poultry Manure Application on Nitrate Leaching in Tile Drain Waters, evaluated tile […]

May corn unchanged at $3.7325 May beans down 1 ½ at $9.0775 The DOW is down USD is weaker Crude oil up $.11 at $58.63 Good morning, Corn  bulls are keeping an eye on extreme U.S. weather conditions that have included late-winter blizzards and early-spring flooding. The updated 6-10 day forecast is calling for above […]

May corn down ¼ at $3.79 May beans up ½ at $8.99 The DOW is up USD is weaker Crude oil down $.53 at $58.09 Good morning, Corn bulls are talking about extremely wet field conditions across many important parts of the U.S. corn belt. Bears are talking about much stronger production out of South […]