Blogs

  • Ag Policy Blog

    Ten national farm groups and dozens of their state affiliates signed on to a letter to the International Trade Commission (ITC) as they try to end two years of countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer imported from Morocco. (DTN file photo)

    Farm groups are asking the International Trade Commission to end countervailing duties on Moroccan phosphate fertilizer. In November, the Commerce Department agreed to lower the duties from 19.97% to 2.12% after retroactively examining the price of shipments and other...

  • Canada Markets

    This chart shows the trend in spring wheat yields for Canada and the three prairie provinces. It highlights the drop in 2023, the second year-over-year drop in three years. (DTN graphic by Cliff Jamieson)
    Posted by Cliff Jamieson , Canadian Grains Analyst

    Prairie spring wheat yields landed below their respective 20-year trend in 2023 for the second time in three years.

  • MachineryLink

    Steve Wilson of Rochester, Minnesota, and the Farmall utility 75C he won as part of Case IH's 100-year celebration of the Farmall line. (DTN image courtesy of Case IH)
    Posted by Dan Miller , Progressive Farmer Senior Editor

    Steve Wilson of Rochester, Minnesota, won a new Farmall utility 75C tractor as part of year-long celebration of Farmall's 100th anniversary. Wilson was one of 8,446 participants in the Case IH-sponsored contest.

  • South America Calling

    Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) can be used as a gauge of plant health when it is difficult to find consistent reports. However, delays in the timing and other factors can cause these images to be of only partial use. (USDA graphics)

    When reports from other countries are not always as complete as those in the U.S. or Canada, the use of satellites can fill in the gaps. However, using these images over places with frequent cloud cover can limit their effectiveness.

  • Ag Weather Forum

    Primary grain areas of Europe have had from 200-400 percent of normal rainfall during the past 30 days except for southernmost areas. (DTN graphic)
    Posted by Bryce Anderson , Ag Meteorologist Emeritus

    Soaked fields lead to slow planting and a cut in winter grain acreage for 2023-24 wheat.

  • Minding Ag's Business

    Register now to hear the latest forecasts from DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick (left) and DTN Lead Analyst Todd Hultman (right). (DTN photos by Nick Scalise)

    There's still time to register for Day 2 of the DTN Ag Summit, where DTN Lead Analyst Todd Hultman will share his outlook for the grain markets and DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick will discuss the weather factors to watch.

  • Fundamentally Speaking

    This chart shows U.S. and Canadian spring wheat yields in bushels per acre on the left-hand axis and those yields as a percent deviation from the 2000-2023 trend on the right-hand axis. The figures in the yellow rectangles are the annual average of Minneapolis wheat futures in $/bushel with 2023 just the first four months of 2023/24 marketing year. (Chart by Joel Karlin)
    Posted by Joel Karlin , DTN Contributing Analyst

    The correlation between U.S. and Canadian wheat yields is over 80%, yet each have a low correlation to Minneapolis spring wheat futures prices.

  • Market Matters Blog

    Producer Quentin Connealy, harvesting his corn in the Missouri River bottom on the east side of Nebraska, noted that irrigation and timely water through the growing season helped produce a pretty successful crop. (Photo by Quentin Connealy)

    U.S. Grains Council annual Corn Harvest Quality Report shows largest crop, lowest broken corn ratio on record.

  • Technically Speaking

    The chart above is a daily chart of Chicago March wheat showing the fifth consecutive higher close, and the sharp surge on Monday following the China purchase. (DTN ProphetX chart)
    Posted by Dana Mantini , Senior Market Analyst

    Chicago wheat, with managed money funds as of November 28 reported to still be short a position of 124,000 contracts, got some good news with a new sale of 16 million bushels of soft red wheat, surged to big gains on Monday.

  • Sort & Cull

    Posting their eighth weekly loss since mid-September, February cattle prices have taken over $27 off the top and spooked half of noncommercial bulls out of their positions. Curiously, bearish specs have chosen to take advantage of the drop and aren't selling into this market. (DTN ProphetX chart by Todd Hultman)

    February live cattle posted their eighth weekly loss in the past eleven weeks, the largest correction in prices since 2020. In an unusual twist, bearish specs have been covering their short positions.

  • Editors' Notebook

    The 14th Class of America's Best Young Farmers and Ranchers met recently in Austin, Texas to receive awards, attend family business workshops and receive a briefing at the John Deere Innovation Hub. They are being featured in the coming days both in the December issue of Progressive Farmer magazine and on these pages on DTNPF.com. Pictured are (back row, left to right): Tyler Knott, Brad Laack, Bryant Kagay, Abbie Bryant, Kasey Bamberger, Heath Bryant and Brad Bamberger; (front row, left to right): Megan Knott, Nicole Laack, Rachel Kagay and Rachel Arneson. (DTN photo by Nick Scalise)
    Posted by Greg D Horstmeier , DTN Editor-in-Chief

    Congratulations to the 2024 class of our top young farm and ranch operators.

  • An Urban's Rural View

    Neither side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict wants the other to have a state, and this refusal to accept the obvious compromise has brought perpetual pain to both sides. (Photo by Naaman Omar/apaimages, Palestinian News and Information Agency (Wafa) in contract with APAimages)
    Posted by Urban C Lehner , Editor Emeritus

    The seven-decade conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is a good example of what happens when people refuse to accept that their maximalist goals are unachievable.

  • Ethanol Blog

    In a motion filed in federal court Wednesday, Nebraska and Iowa made the case for EPA to grant an E15 waiver to eight Midwest states. (DTN file photo)

    The attorneys general for Iowa and Nebraska asked a federal court on Wednesday to issue a permanent injunction against EPA to force the agency to finalize a rule allowing permanent year-round sales of E15 in eight states.

  • Production Blog

    Chandra and Mike Langseth's dog, Finn, provided a photo opportunity earlier this season as the couple drew corn yield samples and reported on crop potential as part of a DTN feature. (Photo courtesy of Chandra Langseth)
    Posted by Pamela Smith , Crops Technology Editor

    Calling for volunteers for DTN's 2024 View From the Cab series.