Top 5 Things to Watch

By DTN Staff

OMAHA (DTN) -- Here are the Top 5 things the DTN Newsroom is tracking for the week of July 30. Watch for coverage of these and other topics through the week on our subscription platforms as well as on www.DTNPF.com.

Note that all report release and webinar times are Central Daylight Savings Time unless otherwise noted.

1. Wheat Tour starts Tuesday: We'll have reports from the Wheat Quality Council's 2025 Hard Spring Wheat and Durum Tour starting Tuesday, with a preview of expectations Monday.

2. Heat comes to Midwest: Hotter, drier conditions move into the Central and Southern Plains. Northern Plains could see another series of storms, with temperatures lower to seasonable early in the week, possibly rising as the ridge starts to expand northward into the region at the end of July. Isolated showers continue across the Delta through next week, which should get most crops through pollination and into grain and pod filling. Things stay hot and dry in the Pacific Northwest, with the Canadian Prairies seeing some scattered showers but not enough to break dry conditions in many areas.

3. International conditions mixed: In Brazil, a front could bring some showers but in general harvest conditions are good for safrinha (second-crop) corn and wheat harvests. Eastern Europe will see scattered rain, while western countries could be hotter and drier as corn begins to pollinate. Rain could work into the area by the weekend. The Black Sea region will have scattered showers in the west, drier in southwestern Russia. Australia could see some drought relief from systems moving through many areas late in the week. The precipitation forecast has increased over Australia with a system moving through Sunday into early next week and with another system moving through late next week. That could help with the drought problem for much of the country's winter wheat and canola outside of the west. Crops are still vegetative and the coming rain would be very helpful should it materialize before they get into their reproductive stages.

4. Cattle reports Friday: The July 1 Cattle on Feed and Cattle Inventory reports hit Friday afternoon. We'll have a preview mid-week, followed by the report and analysis Friday afternoon.

5. Reports through the week: Monday we'll watch for U.S. Leading Economic Indicators data at 9 a.m., with the weekly Grain Inspections numbers at 10 a.m., Chicken and Egg reports at 2 p.m. and then the USDA NASS weekly Crop Progress report, along with our analysis and commentary, at 3 p.m. On Tuesday, the latest Milk Production numbers hit at 2 p.m. Then, Wednesday at 9 a.m. we'll see Existing Home Sales data, followed by 9:30 a.m. release of EIA Weekly Petroleum Status, including ethanol production and stocks. At 2 p.m. Broiler Hatchery numbers are out. Thursday reports begin at 7:30 a.m. with Grain Export Sales and Initial Jobless Claims data. At 8:45 a.m. the S&P Flash U.S. Services PMI and Manufacturing PMI numbers are out, then the 2 p.m. release of Livestock Slaughter and Slaughter Weekly. Friday at 7:30 a.m. we'll see Durable-goods orders data, then the 2 p.m. Cattle on Feed report, Poultry Slaughter and Farm Production data. At 2:30 p.m. the CFTC's Commitment of Traders report is out.

Bonus DTN Content: If you're looking for advice on how to build your own welding cart to make welder and welding supplies more portable, check out the special DTN video showing you all the steps at https://www.dtnpf.com/….

Want to hear more analysis about the July 11 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) reports? The July WASDE came fast on the heels of USDA's big June 30 update for planted acres, grain stocks and more. Those latest figures updated the balance sheet, and when combined with the USDA's new expectations for domestic and global demand, there were at least a few fireworks lighting up the market in the days after.

To help us drink from this firehose of recent news, DTN Field Posts Podcast Host Sarah Mock interviewed DTN Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery. He talked through why unexpectedly quiet grain stocks and acreage reports still managed to cause a stir in the soybean market, and then discussed production expectations for the wheat crop as winter wheat harvest continues apace. Then he dug into the unexpected updates to the corn demand picture, which put estimated ending stock numbers in record range, a startling situation given the current price picture, but one that traders might not believe given the current weather and trade forecasts.

Finally, Montgomery looked ahead to the rest of the summer, taking into account the latest news around tariffs, interest rates, and other hiccups that might still lie ahead.

You can listen to Episode 252, "A Mixed Bag From the July WASDE," and other DTN Field Posts podcasts at https://www.dtnpf.com/…, https://www.buzzsprout.com/… and they're also available on podcast hosting sites such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Watch for the latest news at www.dtnpf.com, and follow and like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dtnprogressivefarmer. You can find our news on Instagram as well. Give us a follow @dtn.agnews

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