Natalie Andrews, William Mauldin and Anthony Harrup reported yesterday at The Wall Street Journal Online that, “A new U.S. trade deal with Mexico and Canada gained backing from House Democrats, setting the agreement on course for likely ratification by Congress in 2020 and marking a victory for President Trump after months of negotiations to modify it. “Mr. Trump ran for office in 2016 […]
The two major drivers of uncertainty impacting soybean prices in 2019 appear set to carry over into 2020. The status of trade negotiations with China continues to move soybean markets despite numerous fits and starts in the process. Another USDA estimate of the 2019 soybean crop comes out in January. Without supportive information on either […]
Late last week, Wall Street Journal writers Grace Zhu, Eva Dou and Bob Davis reported that, “China’s trade negotiations with the U.S. remain on track, Beijing said, offering official reassurance after tensions flared between the world’s two biggest economies over human-rights issues in China. “The negotiating teams from both sides have maintained close communications, China’s Commerce Ministry said Thursday, […]
*This article was originally posted here The U.S. and China remain deadlocked in a major trade dispute. While many sectors have been impacted, the U.S. agricultural sector has paid a heavy price in the dispute. The first major impact on U.S. agriculture came in July 2018 when China imposed a 25% retaliatory tariff on many […]
Poor growing and harvesting conditions this year have North Dakota producers concerned about the test weight of their corn. “Many factors influence the measured test weight of corn, including the physical characteristics of the kernel such as size, density, shape and surface of the kernel,” says Ken Hellevang, North Dakota State University Extension agricultural engineer. […]
Landowners will have a one-time yield updating decision under the 2018 Farm Bill: 1) keep the current Price Loss Coverage (PLC) yield that is assigned to a crop on a Farm Service Agency (FSA) farm or 2) update based on farm yields from 2013 to 2017. This decision can be made for each program crop […]
After a dismal performance in September and October, corn demand showed signs of life in November. Ethanol production and export sales picked up the pace over the last few weeks. Expanded placements and higher weights in the livestock sector point toward the potential for an uptrend in feed demand. Corn use appears set to maintain […]
Last week, the Federal Reserve Board released its November 2019 Beige Book update, a summary of commentary on current economic conditions by Federal Reserve District. The report included several observations pertaining to the U.S. agricultural economy. Graph of Fed Districts from, “The Beige Book.” * Fifth District- Richmond– “Farmers were reportedly hesitant to invest in land or equipment because […]
According to NASS, 20 percent—some 2 million acres—of the 2019 Illinois corn crop was still in the field on November 17. Following unprecedented delays in planting, the warm weather in September helped move the crop towards maturity, and frost did not come earlier than normal. So most of the corn in Illinois was at or […]
The 2019 crop year will live long in the memory. A record amount of prevent plant acres, delayed harvest, and considerable dismay over USDA reports compounded the uncertainty associated with the trade war. Speculation about the acreage levels in 2020 is already underway. Current market conditions support acreage increases in corn and soybeans in 2020. […]