Blog
April 24, 2019This spring we are seeing a concerning amount of winter killed alfalfa. Stands that looked and yielded great last year just did not hold up to our harsh winter. There were three factors that contributed that led to less than stellar looking spring hay fields: The wettest fall ever
April 23, 2019It did not rain on Easter Sunday, thus as weather lore goes, we should not have to worry about seven consecutive rainy Sundays! My family and I made our annual pilgrimage down to northern Illinois for Easter to be with family. I saw a decent amount of tillage equipment and planters rolling and taking advantage
April 18, 2019Extreme spring weather is not shaking up the market in a positive way. With rainfall coming in less than first expected, the market looks for planting to get a good start. Fieldwork around here has not really started, but south of here has and fertilizer applied. Markets are taking a break on Good Friday holiday
April 16, 2019Trade optimism and a slow start to planting gave headlines a friendly tone to start the week but a drier Western Corn Belt outlook tempered the anticipation of higher prices. Monday’s U.S. corn planting was at 3% vs the expected 5% and vs the 5-year average of 5%. Spring wheat planting was at 2% vs
April 11, 2019Just another strange week here in the great state of Wisconsin. Here in the central part of the state we have more snow/freezing rain that is not welcome this time of year. This week in the grain world not much is exciting. The WASDE Report was released leaving prices in approximately the same range we
April 9, 2019Markets are trading mixed following the release of the USDA S/D report where minor changes were made. The report was slightly bearish compared with average trade expectations. Ethanol, feed and residual and export forecasts were lowered in the report. As a result, ending stocks forecast was raised by 200 million bushels. Global ending stocks were
April 4, 2019Markets are continuing to slowly climb back from last Friday’s report. This morning’s exports were better than expected for beans and wheat, but disappointing on corn. The USDA announced 72.4 million bushels of bean exports, 25.9 million bushels of wheat, and 21.2 million bushels of corn to be exported. The five-day forecast shows rain for
April 2, 2019The biggest news in the market today is the March USDA planting intentions and quarterly stocks report that was released last Friday. The report caught some by surprise with a bearish bias in the numbers, especially in corn. Corn closed down 17 ½ cents on the day. This is the largest single down day since
March 29, 2019While devastating flooding takes place in the Midwest it has a ripple effect on the market. Full losses in livestock and grain are not yet known—and could take even a year to uncover—but there are key factors to watch in the market even now. Ethanol: “Pay attention to what’s taking place with ethanol capacity,” says Angie
March 28, 2019As with every year, the excitement for planting season begins to build in March. With planting right around the corner, farmers are finalizing their 2019 crop plans. The goal of every farmer is to get the most economical yield possible from their crop. Most of the time, the financial woes of the previous year are