Corn, cotton, and soybeans were down; wheat was mixed for the week.

In January, December 2019 corn futures prices moved sideways opening the month at $3.97 ½ and closing at $4.00, up 2 ½ cents for the month. The January trading range was $3.96 ½ to $4.06. November 2019 soybean futures prices increased, opening the month at $9.36 and closing at $9.55 ½, up 19 ½ cents for the month. The January trading range was $9.35 to $9.65. December 2019 cotton futures prices moved mostly sideways opening the month at 73.38 and closing at 74.20, up 0.82 cents for the month. The January trading range was 72.24 to 75.20. July 2019 wheat futures prices moved sideways, opening the month at $5.18 and closing at $5.27, up 9 cents for the month. The January trading range was $5.17 to $5.40 ¼.

Next week will be the start of the projected (spring) price determination period for corn, soybean, and cotton crop insurance policies. A simple average of the daily closing price for the harvest contract in the month of February is used to determine the price for
crop insurance guarantees. continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.

Over the next week there are lots of opportunities to complete the 2019 Dicamba Training. The training will be offered at both the Middle Tennessee Grain Conference on February 5 and the West Tennessee Grain Conference on February 7. Additionally, it will be offered in  the following counties,

• Carroll Co. – Feb. 4 @ 8:30 a.m. & 7 p.m. – UT Extension Office
• Crockett Co. – Feb. 1 @ 9 & 10:30 a.m. – Gibson Electric Cooperative, Alamo
• Decatur Co. – Feb. 6 @ 9 a.m. – UT Extension Office
• Hardeman Co. – Feb. 5 @ 1 p.m. – Nutrien Ag Solutions, Whiteville
• Hardin – Feb. 5 @ 8 a.m. – First Farmers Co-op, Savannah
• Haywood – Feb. 4-5 @ 9:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m. – UT Extension Office
• Henderson – Feb. 4 @ 1 p.m. – First Farmers Co-op, Lexington
• Madison – Feb. 5 @ 9 a.m. – Mid-South Farmers Co-op, Mercer
• Tipton – Feb. 5 @ 9 a.m. – UT Extension Office

See the UTIA Dicamba Resources Page for a complete list of trainings.

In this week’s podcast, Dr. Angela McClure discusses what’s on the agenda for the upcoming West TN and Middle TN Grain Conference. Play podcast.

Corn and cotton were mixed; soybeans and wheat were up for the week.

On Friday, President Trump announced that a temporary deal to end the partial government shutdown had been reached. The temporary  measure would fund the federal government to February 15. While this is welcome news to those affected by the shutdown, a long term solution, and the certainty it would afford government agencies and citizens, remains undefined. From an agricultural stand point, resumption of USDA reports (Export Sales, WASDE, Grain Stocks etc.), the ability of FSA to process loans and guarantees, and the implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill will resume (perhaps temporarily). Uncertainty remains beyond the February 15 deadline so markets will continue to wait for additional information.

December 2019 corn futures continue to trade in a 10 cent range $3.95 to $4.05. Limited movement has occurred outside this range since late November. New information contained in the Grain Stocks and WASDE reports or progress in trade talks have the potential to jolt the market outside of this range in either direction. Until then markets will continue to move sideways. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.

The 2019 UT Cotton Focus is only a few weeks away. This year’s meeting will be held at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center (605 Airways Blvd, Jackson, TN 38301) on Friday, February 15th.   Registration begins at 8:00 AM with opening remarks beginning at 8:25 AM.  This year’s event will feature a round-table on auxin herbicide stewardship and regulation as well as a general cotton specialists’ roundtable.  Additionally, UT Specialists will be presenting information on managing resistant bollworms, variety selection,  new diseases, and economic considerations for 2019, among other pertinent information.  We will also have an update on boll weevil eradication and a report from the National Cotton Council. The meeting will close with a provided lunch.  Pesticide re-certification and CCA points will be available. Look forward to seeing you there!

A slew of dicamba training opportunities are coming up over the next seven days.

• Crockett Co. – Jan. 29 @ 2 p.m. – Gibson Electric Cooperative, Alamo
• Gibson Co. – Jan. 28, 29 & 30 @ 9 a.m., 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. – UT Extension Office
• Haywood Co. – Jan. 28 @ 10 a.m. – H & R Agri-Power, Brownsville
• Lincoln Co. – Jan. 28 @ 1 p.m. – UT Extension Office
• Montgomery Co. – Jan. 28 @ 4:30 p.m. – UT Extension Office
• Tipton Co. – Jan. 29 @ 9 a.m. & Jan. 31 @ 2 p.m. – UT Extension Office

To see the complete list of 2019 trainings, visit the Dicamba Resources page.

Corn, cotton, and soybeans were up and wheat was down for the week.

Soybean prices continue to whipsaw based on news/speculation regarding three issues: 1) China-U.S. trade negotiations; 2) Brazilian weather – specifically dry conditions in the northeast; and 3) export sales (1 and 2 are driving 3). Availability of export data has been reduced due to the partial government shutdown leading to a greater divergence in export sales estimates. USDA reports can be viewed as a type of baseline line that provides market participants with a common estimate to base trading decisions on. This is not to say that the USDA estimates are correct or more accurate than estimates provided through other market sources, however the USDA estimates provide an equal starting point for market participants. Individual opinions, about the accuracy of the USDA’s estimates, will deviate substantially and allow traders to roll the dice one way or the other. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.

Corn and soybeans were down; cotton was mixed; and wheat was up for the week.

The partial government shutdown has resulted in several key reports (WASDE, Crop Production, and Grain Stocks being delayed. Reports will be released, however the USDA will determine the release schedule after the government resumes normal operations. An addition consequence of the partial shutdown is the inability for producers to complete paper work at FSA for Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments. The payments were provided to producers to help mitigate the impact of retaliatory tariffs on commodity prices. The application dead-line was initially set as January 15, 2019, however USDA Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue extended the deadline indicating: “We will therefore extend the application deadline for a period of time equal to the number of business days FSA offices were closed, once the government shutdown ends…”. This should allow producers time to complete the required paper work to obtain payments for 2018 production. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.