Corn
Record corn exports are tightening stocks and lifting prices, but long-term strength depends on expanding domestic demand. Could year-round E15 overcome legislative hurdles in Washington and change the market trajectory?
The U.S. Climate Prediction Center forecasts the weather pattern to persist for the next month or two, which is ideal for soybean reproductive stages, but the transition might impact the tail-end of the region’s growing season.
Trade did not expect a change in corn stocks, but USDA surprised with a big increase to exports from already record levels.
Wheat acres are expected to decline, and little change is anticipated for cotton acres after a drop in 2025.
Going into the final weeks of the year, many growers across the country are shouldering significant financial strain from land rent payments, rising input costs, and efforts to stay in business and viable until commodity prices improve.
Susan Olson, of Action Intel, analyzes barge movement and logistics and says the past few weeks show a divergence in how grain is getting to export markets.
Farmers who suffered losses from natural disasters that occurred in calendar years 2023 and 2024 can sign up for the aid. It is also available to farmers participating in the On-Farm Storage Loss Program and the Milk Loss Program.
After three straight years of having a May-planted crop that outperformed corn planted only a few weeks earlier, some Illinois farmers are ready to throw in the towel on planting corn before the calendar turns to May.
Beijing’s refusal to buy American and its pivot to Brazil could be less about economics and more to do with politics. “It’s a calculated decision about control and national leverage, not about getting the cheapest beans,” says one ag economist.
Some row-crop growers are converting acres, banking on long-term opportunities with beef. Others are staying the course with crops but embracing ways to add some dollars to their bottom line in the short-term.