Corn and cotton were up; soybeans and wheat were down for the week. This week corn futures prices strengthened relative to soybeans. Currently, the nearby soybean to corn futures price ratio is 2.47; compared to a harvest price ratio of 2.33. The harvest price ratio has the potential to further decrease if, on March 31st, the USDA planted acreage estimates contain more than expected planted acres of soybeans and less than expected planted acres of corn. Of course the potential exists for the USDA to provide a surprise on Tuesday. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.

Corn, cotton, and wheat were up; soybeans were mixed for the week. De-cember 2015 corn futures set a new 150 day low on Wednesday before re-bounding on Thursday and Friday to close up for the week. November soy-bean futures establish new 150 day lows this week at $9.39 per bushel. Soy-bean futures remain somewhat of a quagmire. Strong export and domestic demand provide bullish news, while large domestic and global ending stocks for the 2014/15 marketing year and the potential for increased planted acreage in 2015 fuel the bears. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.

Please note that crop comments will be posted online Monday, March 16th at http://economics.ag.utk.edu/cropcomm.html.

FED CATTLE: Fed cattle traded steady on a live basis compared to a week ago based on limited numbers. Live prices were primarily $160 to $161 while dressed trade was mainly $259 to $260. The 5-area weighted average prices thru Thursday were $160.78 live, up $2.91 from last week and $259.09 dressed, up $9.09 from a week ago. A year ago prices were $147.92 live and $239.80 dressed. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.

Corn, cotton, soybeans, and wheat were down for the week. Nearby corn continues to trade between $3.80/bu and $4.00/bu. This week soybeans reversed trend and are now poised to test market lows established in late January. May cotton futures dropped 3.5 cents from last week’s high of over 66 cents/lb. Wheat continues to fall as lack of price competitiveness on the global market continues to hurt exports. Since highs in late December wheat futures are down nearly $2.00/bu. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.

Corn and wheat were down; cotton and soybeans were up for the week. On Thursday and Friday the USDA hosted their 91st annual Agricultural Outlook Forum in Arlington, Virginia. The conference provided preliminary estimates for the 2015/16 marketing year. Domestic planted acreage for wheat, corn, and soybeans was estimated to decrease 3.1 million acres to 228 million. Planted acreage for wheat was estimated to decrease from 56.8 million to 55.5 million. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.

Corn, soybeans, cotton, and wheat were up for the week. On Tuesday February 10th, the USDA released its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report. As expected, the report did not contain any major revisions and overall was not a major market mover. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.