Corn: Over the last three weeks, March corn futures have traded sideways. On January 1, 2018, March corn futures opened at $3.51 and closed today at $3.52. September corn futures have followed the exact same pattern. September 2018 futures opened at $3.75 on January 1 and closed at $3.76 as of today’s market close. The latest USDA estimate has ending stocks forecasted to be higher and demand to be slightly lower. The USDA is also projecting that global production for coarse grains, which includes corn, to be higher for 2017/18. The size of the South American crop will also have an impact on the upside potential of corn futures. Cash basis is averaging $0.05 while new crop basis is currently averaging -$0.15 as of market close. Continue reading →

Corn: For the week, December corn futures have traded sideways within a $0.08 price range. Farmer selling is reportedly slow this week and is partially evidenced by the increase in local basis. Corn harvest is continuing to progress at a steady pace. As of November 12, 83% of the national corn crop was harvested. In Tennessee, the USDA reported that 99% of all corn has been harvested. Continue reading →

Corn: For the week, December corn futures have traded mostly sideways. Corn futures increased slightly yesterday following the USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE). The USDA raised the national corn yield to 171.8 BPA, up from 169.9 BPA September estimate. The increase is mostly attributed to abundant rainfall nationwide along with milder temperatures. Although ending stocks are projected to increase, the bullish news from the soybean market has spilled over into the corn market, pulling corn futures higher.   Continue reading →

Corn: September corn futures closed $0.11 lower for the week. The decline in futures can be attributed to high global stocks and the USDA’s projected yield of 169.5 bushels per acre. If the projected yield is realized, then we will only add to the large supply that we currently have. Over the next few weeks, we will begin to see harvest pressure surface as combines begin to enter the fields. Locally, we have begun to see farmers shell some of their earlier planted corn. Moisture is averaging 18% in Northwest Tennessee with farmers being pleased with yields so far. Some producers are even reporting yields as high as 190 bushels on dry land corn. Continue reading →

Corn: September corn futures have traded $0.08 lower so far this week. The decline in corn futures can be attributed to a lack of a weather scare for the Midwest. Key growing states like Iowa and Illinois continue to receive extended weather forecasts with normal temperatures and normal precipitation. The USDA released the latest crop progress report on Monday. This report indicated that 97% of the corn crop is silking while 61% of the crop has reached the dough stage. The USDA rated 62% of the corn crop as being good-to-excellent, which is a 2% increase from last week’s report. Continue reading →