Soybeans, cotton, and wheat were down; corn was up for the week. In Tennessee, cash corn prices posted new lows in several regions ($2.89/bu was the lowest price reported by USDA-AMS in the state) before rebounding mildly at the end of the week. Northwest Tennessee has seen the lowest prices in the state while lower-middle Tennessee has had the highest cash prices out of the five regions reporting. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.
RAINS IMPROVE CROPS OVERALL; SOME INSECT CHALLENGES
Earlier rains brought welcome relief to crop and pasture conditions. Corn harvest has started and, so far, has shown low moisture and good yields. Soybeans are dropping leaves in some areas and cotton continued to develop well. Farmers in southern Middle Tennessee were challenged with controlling sugarcane aphids and army worms, cutting hay fields that are infested and applying controls as necessary. Continue reading Tennessee NASS report at TN_08_29_16. The U.S. Crop Progress report can be read at CropProg-08-29-2016.
Corn, soybeans, and wheat were down; cotton was mixed for the week. The 2015/16 corn and soybean marketing year comes to an end August 31 and exports are estimated at 1.925 billion bushels and 1.88 billion bushels for corn and soybeans, respectively. Corn exports are well below the all-time record of 2.437 billion bushels exported during the 2007/08 marketing year, while soybeans set a third consecutive all-time record. Both commodities are expected to increase export sales for the forthcoming marketing year. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.
TOBACCO IN NEED OF DRIER CONDITIONS
While frequent rains benefitted the condition of most crops in the State, it also delayed the topping and cutting of tobacco. The tobacco crop has been plagued with leaf spot, rot diseases, and armyworms, which have reduced grower’s yield and quality expectations. Some corn harvest has begun with good yields reported. Continue reading Tennessee NASS report at TN_08_22_16. The U.S. Crop Progress report can be read at CropProg-08-22-2016.
Corn, soybeans, and wheat were up; cotton was down for the week. December corn rebounded this week, closing up 10 cents, after setting a new contract low last Friday at $3.22 ½. Strong export sales, buoyed by a 2-month low in the USD index, contributed to the price rebound. Prices have appreciated in spite of the bearish WASDE report last week which included record yield (175.1 bu/acre) and production (15.153 billion bushels). Harvest futures will likely trade in the short-term between $3.30 and $3.50. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.
SCATTERED SHOWERS BRING LITTLE CHANGE
Hot, humid weather prevailed over the state with scattered showers bringing moisture to some areas, but leaving others dry. Corn continued to dry down with some producers anticipating harvest beginning in the next few weeks. Soybean producers were busy scouting for disease and insects and applying fungicides. Some cattle producers in the drier areas were already feeding hay, leading to concerns about hay supplies. Continue reading Tennessee NASS report at TN_08_15_16. The U.S. Crop Progress report can be read at CropProg-08-15-2016.
Corn and cotton were down; soybeans and wheat were up for the week. On Friday, the USDA released the August WASDE and Crop Production reports. Corn yields were increased 7.1 bu/acre from the July report to 175.1 bu/acre, an all-time record. If realized corn yields would be 6.7 bu/acre higher than last year and produce a record crop of 15.15 billion bushels. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights. Monthly Crop Comments on the August 12th USDA WASDE report including a Profitability Update can be found at Tennessee Monthly Crop Outlook.
CROPS, CATTLE IN GOOD CONDITION
Both widespread along with some isolated showers brought much-needed moisture to much of the state, improving most row crop and cattle conditions. The moisture is helping with soybean development. In most areas, producers were making second cutting of hay, while in others producers were supplementing pasture with hay. Corn is drying down in some areas and growers are readying to start harvest. Continue reading Tennessee NASS report at TN_08_08_16. The U.S. Crop Progress report can be read at CropProg-08-08-2016.