Blogs

  • Editors' Notebook

    (DTN/Progressive Farmer graphic)

    A busy week ahead with farm shows, government reports and examining the ongoing executive actions and how they will affect agriculture and commodity markets.

  • Market Matters Blog

    DTN's weekly spot price for domestic distillers dried grains for the week ended Feb. 6 is steady on average versus one week ago. (DTN file photo)
    Posted by Mary Kennedy , DTN Basis Analyst

    DTN's weekly average spot price for domestic distillers dried grains is steady versus one week ago.

  • Canada Markets

    As you can see, the current USDA's 2024-25 corn export estimate (green) is quite respectable. The problem is, the export pace to date is 30.7% ahead of last year, not 6.9% as the USDA assumes. With 18-year lows for ending stocks in major world corn exporting countries, it might be more reasonable to assume a 20% annual increase given the lack of competition (shown in orange). (DTN chart, USDA data)
    Posted by Mitch Miller , DTN Contributing Canadian Grains Analyst

    The weekly U.S. export sales report confirmed interest in corn hasn't slowed, suggesting the USDA estimates are far too conservative. With ending stocks in world exporting and importing countries at multi-year low levels -- more of the same could be expected.

  • Ag Policy Blog

    Skylar Holden, a cattle producer in eastern Missouri, shares his story on TikTok about a funding freeze on a USDA conservation cost-share EQIP contract. He is worried about the money he has already spent, and contracts he signed. Other farmers who signed up for climate-smart programs also have had funds frozen . (Photo from Holden's TikTok video)

    Farmers are learning their conservation payments are frozen because those contracts were funded through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The White House has frozen IRA dollars across the federal government. Other conservation programs tied to the Partnership for...

  • Ag Weather Forum

    The U.S. Drought Monitor at the end of January 2025 showed only 26% of the Ohio Valley region in some phase of drought, compared with 88%-plus in late October 2024. (Drought Mitigation Center graphics)
    Posted by Bryce Anderson , Ag Meteorologist Emeritus

    Dryness that lowered 2024 corn yields in the eastern Midwest is significantly less ahead of the start of fieldwork for 2025.

  • An Urban's Rural View

    Arthur Burns, the Federal Reserve Board chair under President Richard Nixon, gave into pressure from Nixon to cut interest rates and inflation worsened. Jerome Powell, the current Fed chair, is determined to cut in response to favorable data, not presidential demands.

    The last time the Federal Reserve gave in to demands from the president to cut interest rates, the result wasn't good. The current Fed is determined to preserve its independence.

  • Sort & Cull

    Monday's cattle market didn't feel good emotionally, and depending on how far the prices fall, this could become costly. (Photo by Jimmy Stewart)

    News travels fast and people react most of the time in a negative way. Will the cattle complex again find its footing?

  • Fundamentally Speaking

    Chart by Joel Karlin, DTN Contributing Analyst
    Posted by Joel Karlin , DTN Contributing Analyst

    Amount of U.S. corn sold, shipped and the shipped/sold ratio as of the fourth week in January as a percent of USDA's January export projection vs. the percent change in USDA's export projection from the January WASDE report to the final figures for the past 25 years.

  • Production Blog

    Though it might be tempting this spring to use up leftover over-the-top dicamba as a pre-plant burndown, it's illegal to do so. (DTN file photo)
    Posted by Jason Jenkins , DTN Crops Editor

    Farmers enter this season without a post-emergence, over-the-top dicamba product registered for weed control in soybeans and cotton. What does it mean for the controversial chemistry? Here are some do's and don'ts.

  • Technically Speaking

    This is a daily chart of KC July wheat futures showing the potential bullish chart pattern. (DTN ProphetX chart by Dana Mantini)
    Posted by Dana Mantini , Senior Market Analyst

    Kansas City wheat, along with the other two U.S. wheat markets, show a possible reversal pattern and buy signal on Tuesday and Wednesday after challenging the contract lows on Monday.

  • South America Calling

    Heavy rain is forecast for central Brazil at the end of January; amounts of 50-100 millimeters (2-4 inches) are common, while some spots in the region will eclipse that. (DTN graphic)

    Producers in central Brazil are in the midst of a brief break from daily showers, allowing them to get some fieldwork done. But a period of heavy rain is forecast to close out the month of January and begin February, which is likely to cause some delays to soybean harvest and...

  • MachineryLink

    Fendt's 30-foot Momentum planter earned an AE50 award. The 30-foot planter brings Fendt's advanced planting capabilities to smaller farms, with 100-bushel seed capacity and 800-gallon liquid fertilizer capacity. (DTN photo by Dan Miller)

    The American Society of Ag and Biological Engineers has named its 2025 AE50 innovation awards. Here are 18 of the awards given to AGCO, CNH and CLAAS.

  • Ethanol Blog

    Green Plains Inc. announced progress on a carbon capture and storage project for its ethanol plants in Nebraska. (Green Plains logo)
    Posted by Todd Neeley , DTN Environmental Editor

    Green Plains Inc. announced on Thursday it had acquired all the necessary property to complete a carbon-capture project at its ethanol plants in Nebraska.

  • Minding Ag's Business

    USDA forecasts 2024 net farm income at $140.7 billion dollars, while net cash farm income is projected at $158.8 billion. (Chart courtesy of USDA)
    Posted by Katie Micik Dehlinger , Farm Business Editor

    The Economic Research Service's third reading of net farm incomes is lower than 2023, but the decline is softer than initially forecast due to better-than-expected production expenses.