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Corn and wheat futures are under light pressure with soybeans mixed with a lower bias. Fat cattle futures are higher to open the week with feeders and lean hogs under pressure.

Slightly firmer tone in grain and soy futures coming out of the extended holiday weekend.

China’s July pork shipments from the U.S. plummeted 62.2% from year-ago.

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Updated monthly and quarterly price forecasts.

This week’s National Drought Monitor reflected widespread improvement across areas of the Midwest and eastern parts of the Central and Northern Plains in response to beneficial rainfall.

The reporting period preceded Hurricane Ida. New-crop sales of soymeal were also impressive at nearly 400,000 MT.

Corn and soybean basis and cash prices plunged over the past week.

The Renewable Fuels Association supports EPA’s reevaluation of the exemptions, but it objects to EPA’s remand request.

If the review justifies any changes, NASS will publish updated planted and harvested acreage estimates in the Sept. 10 Crop Production Report.

Hurricane Ida caused "significant damage" to a Louisiana grain export elevator owned by Cargill Inc. Ken Erickson, Senior VP agribusiness with IHS market, says the Hurricane's potential impact on exports is huge.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will join Clinton Griffiths for a virtual live town-hall Sept. 2 at 2 p.m. CDT. Farmers and ranchers will ask about the most pressing issues and opportunities they face.

"The loud and angry debates over crop-protection products in Europe can give the false impression that farmers like me are prone to over-use chemicals on what we grow," Maria Gabriela Cruz says in this guest blog post.

Argentina’s government has extended its restrictions on beef exports until the end of October, a politically charged move that’s likely to anger the country’s meat producers.

The bull-run on Iowa farmland sales continues to play out in August. Less than two weeks after a farm ground sold for $19,000 per acre in Iowa, a new record sale was posted in Iowa Friday of $22,600 per acre.

CCI ratings for both crops are below the respective five-year averages for the end of August.

Chip Flory and Pro Farmer Policy Analyst Jim Wiesemeyer discuss policy issues and happenings in D.C.

Its July Estimates Production of Principal Field Crops report shows durum wheat crop prospects down 39.2% from the 2020 season at nearly 4.00 MMT, with spring wheat crop prospects down 37.7% at 16.10 MMT.

Soybean inspections were stronger than the market anticipated, but expectations were limited and the amount of beans inspected for export were well under year-ago levels.

Corn and soybean futures face light pressure as wheat futures rise. Livestock futures are narrowly mixed to start the week...

Find updates to our short-term, intermediate- and long-term trends for commodity and key outside markets.

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Reuters is now reporting two of its sources indicate EPA has proposed retroactively lowering the 2020 Renewable Fuel Standard blending obligations in a nod to reduced fuel demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It expects Canada’s 2021-22 all wheat crop to drop 15.01 MMT (42.7%) from last season to 20.18 MMT.

Areas of the Midwest and High Plains received welcome rainfall the week ending Aug. 24, leading to localized drought improvement. But areas that missed out saw drought conditions worsen over the past week.

Grain and soybean prices continue to swing wildly.

Sales of old- and new-crop corn were in line with expectations. Soybean sales were strong, as expected, with much of the business known thanks to USDA’s daily reporting system.

Soybean basis slipped but the cash price rebounded.

ERS made upward revisions to its 2021 food inflation forecasts for all food, restaurant and grocery store prices.

USDA announced today that it is updating the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) for contract producers of eligible livestock and poultry and producers of specialty crops and other sales-based commodities.

But cotton ratings shot higher once more as Texas continues to receive rain.

There were 401.26 million lbs. of beef in the nation’s freezers at the end of July, just a 256,000-MT decline from the end of June versus the five-year average increase of 23.6 million lbs. for the month.

The corn and soybean CCI ratings are the lowest of the growing season.

Chip Flory and Washington policy analyst Jim Wiesemeyer discuss current D.C. policy issues and events...

USDA also revised last week’s tally a substantial, 120,000 MT higher. Shipments of corn and soybeans were in line with expectations.

Corn, soybean and wheat futures are firmer to start the week. Livestock futures are also higher.

As Pro Farmer Crop Tour wrapped up this week, scouts saw inconsistency in the West and consistency in the East. With Pro Farmer's projected crop size, Brian Grete and Chip Flory discuss the demand piece of the puzzle.

This issue is all about our Crop Tour findings and our Pro Farmer crop estimates.

Pro Farmer estimates the U.S. corn crop at 15.116 billion bu. with an average yield of 177.0 bu. per acre. We estimate the U.S. soybean crop at 4.436 billion bu. on a national average yield of 51.2 bu. per acre.

Pro Farmer's National Estimates reflect Pro Farmer's view on production and yields. The estimates will be released at 1:30 p.m. CT in a special live event.

Scouts saw drought damage instead of derecho devastation in eastern and north-central portions of Iowa on the Pro Farmer Crop Tour this year. Minnesota was much the same, with fields showing clear signs of stress.

Rural Mainstreet Index finds ninth consecutive month of above growth neutral reading on rural economies.

Scouts measured average corn yield potential of 190.8 bu. per acre. Pod counts in a 3’x3’ square averaged 1.218.

Scouts measured average corn yield potential of 177.4 bu. per acre. Pod counts in a 3’x3’ square averaged 1,027.

Tune in for coverage of the last day of coverage with scouts sampling fields in Iowa and Minnesota. Results for these states will be unveiled at 8:00 p.m. CT.

Mark's observations and comments from the final day of Crop Tour.

Get preliminary route reports from Crop Tour leaders as they make their way through Iowa and Minnesota on the final day of the tour.

The northwest Corn Belt has been particularly hard-hit.

The 30- and 90-day forecast maps maintain concerns about drought-stressed crops in the northwest Corn Belt but they signal crops in the eastern Belt should have the moisture needed to finish strong.

Aggressive buying by China (much of which was known) powered the strong showing.