Top 5 Things to Watch

Yield Winners, Fertilizer Facts and Cattle Rumors

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OMAHA (DTN) -- Here are the Top 5 things the DTN Newsroom is tracking for the week of Dec. 10. Watch for coverage of these and other topics through the week on our subscription platforms as well as on www.DTNPF.com.

All times listed below are in Central Standard Time (CST) unless otherwise mentioned.

1. Yield winners announced: Both the National Corn Growers Association and the National Sorghum Producers are expected to announce their annual yield contest winners. Will we see familiar names, or will some new contestants pop in with top yields?

2. Global Fertilizer Outlook: DTN Staff Reporter Russ Quinn continues our deep dive into global fertilizer conditions on the supply and demand side along with what possible wild cards could affect price. His latest piece, on the phosphorus outlook, is here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….

3. Cattle market rumors: Late in the past week, rumors flew about reasons for the drop in cattle futures prices while herd size remains historically small. At this writing it appears to be the "X" (formerly known as Twitter) factor -- that is, a remark thrown out into social media that then fed on itself. Ah, social media, we get what we pay for. DTN editors and analysts will look under whatever rocks turn up at the bottom of that stream.

4. Weather cools down: The weekend band of snow near the U.S.-Canada border pushed a cold front south through the Plains and east through the Upper Midwest. Temperatures have dropped some 20 degrees Fahrenheit from the previous week, but still remain mild by December standards through this week, well-above normal across northern zones.

5. Economic reports to watch: On Monday, USDA's weekly grain export inspections report hits at 10 a.m. On Tuesday, the U.S. Labor Department issues its consumer price index for November at 7:30 a.m., and the Federal Reserve starts its two-day meeting. Wednesday the U.S. producer price index will be out at 7:30 a.m., followed by the Energy Department's weekly inventory report at 9:30 a.m. The Federal Reserve will make its announcement on interest rates at 1 p.m. Then, Thursday sees USDA's weekly export sales report at 7:30 a.m., the same time as weekly U.S. jobless claims, retail sales in November and an update of the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Energy Department's report on natural gas storage follows at 10 a.m. USDA's Livestock, Dairy and Poultry outlook is set for 2 p.m. The week wraps up with Friday's release of the Fed's report on U.S industrial production at 8:15 a.m., while the National Oilseeds Processors Association releases its estimate of members' November soybean crush at 11 a.m.

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