Top 5 Things to Watch

Seed Selection, DC Dramas, Receding Rivers Lead News Coverage

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OMAHA (DTN) -- Fall is officially here, and with that we turn attention to ending fiscal years, grain reports and harvest news. Here are the Top 5 things the DTN Newsroom is tracking for the week of Sept. 24. Watch for coverage of these and other topics through the week on our subscription platforms as well as on DTNPF.com.

1. Grain Stocks Friday: Grain markets will focus on Friday when the USDA Grain Stocks and Small Grains Summary reports hit at 11 a.m. CDT. We'll have our normal immediate coverage, followed by commentary updates throughout the hour. DTN Lead Analyst Todd Hultman will head up a live webinar on the reports at 12:30 p.m. You can register for that here: https://ag.dtn.com/….

For a more recent take on market/weather/policy influences, check on the latest In the News video featuring Hultman, DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton and DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick. It's found here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….

2. D.C. budget chaos: We continue to watch the fallout of the Congressional failure to put together a budget or a continuing resolution to keep government doors open. In addition to our news team's coverage, DTN subscribers can keep up with the latest news in their streaming AP News section and in our Ag News segments. All are also available on the mobile version of MyDTN should you miss the rains and be in the combine. You can request a free trial of that full informational service here: https://www.dtn.com/….

3. Harvest break and rivers drop: The weekend's waves of rainfall should diminish early in the week as the current system slowly fades away to the east or south. Rain is largely too late to benefit summer crops and will delay early wheat harvest plans in some areas. Midwest rains will give some farmers a brief break for some in-season combine and harvest equipment maintenance and to finish seed orders. Dry soils will quickly suck up that moisture, though, meaning the rains won't hold up harvest for long. The past week's Drought Monitor Map update showed increasing dry conditions across most of the country, including wetter areas of East and South. We're watching how lack of inflow will affect the Ohio, Missouri and Mississippi river systems as fall transportation picks up.

4. Speaking of seed buying: We'll continue to post stories from the September Progressive Farmer issue featuring the latest on seeds and related technology. Watch for those in our Top Stories segments and blogs. Our DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins also recorded a Reporter's Notebook on the series, which can be found here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….

4. Reports fill this week ... and then?: Government economic reports this week should flow as normal. Beyond Sept. 30, the chances are murkier as a government shutdown would cut the cord on such updates. Monday's market-influencing reports include USDA's weekly grain export inspections at 10 a.m. CDT, followed by USDA's monthly cold storage report at 2 p.m. and Crop Progress at 3 p.m. We'll watch for harvest progress of the past week and how much rains will slow that down. Tuesday sees U.S. new home sales report at 7:30 a.m. and a report on U.S. consumer confidence at 9 a.m. On Wednesday, we'll watch the U.S. durable goods orders, which hits at 7:30 a.m., and the U.S. Energy Department's weekly report of energy inventories at 9:30 a.m. CDT. Thursday morning is a busy one, with USDA's weekly export sales report, the weekly U.S. jobless claims, an update of second-quarter U.S. GDP and an update of the U.S. Drought Monitor all hitting at 7:30 a.m. The U.S. Energy Department's weekly report of natural gas storage is at 9:30 a.m. USDA's Hogs and Pigs report for Sept. 1 is due out at 2 p.m. Then, Friday is the reveal of the Federal Reserve's favorite inflation indicator, the PCE index, at 7:30 a.m. The U.S. personal income and consumer spending reports hit at the same time, followed by USDA's Sept. 1 Grain Stocks and Small Grains Summary, which as noted above, are out 11 a.m. CDT.

Be sure and watch for the latest news at www.dtnpf.com, and follow and like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dtnprogressivefarmer.