Sky Watching/Big Cushion

Steve BruceGeneral Commentary

The numbers are history. Time to focus on the weather. Wow! Lots of corn around!                 Wheat conditions might have been a little too wet to date yet, there the ingredients are present to bring in a quality crop in a few months. All will be well if we don’t get too cold when we head and experience  hot and/or …

Grain Spreads: Bean Pressure

Sean LuskGeneral Commentary

We are at a major point of support for beans and meal as funds have returned with vigor to the short side in both soybeans and meal. A fifty percent retracement from the September lows to the near term highs sits near 871. A move over 903 puts near term highs above 920 back in play. This is the simple …

Executing the Game Plan

Steve BruceGeneral Commentary

                The crusty old timers always say that we kill crops with hot and dry and cool and wet may hurt quality during harvest and delay things a little while during plantings yet, moisture is mandatory when making a crop. Of course, there are acres under water and this is devastating in certain areas but we need to play out …

Livestock Report

Ben DiCostanzoGeneral Commentary

  The hog and cattle markets spent the trading session spinning their wheels in a quiet trading session. The June Lean Hogs opened at its high (96.225), traded to its low (94.20), all in the first 15 minutes of trading and then chopped within the range for the rest of the day. It settled at 95.325. This was the second …

Ag Time

John WalshGeneral Commentary

The soy under a bit of pressure. The recent rally in meal and beans may have found a peak. (Perhaps) The meal has bounced on a bit of recent strength in domestic cash markets. The global markets have bounced a bit as well. This should prove to be short lived if the macro fundamentals are in play. ( no guarantees …

Believe It or Not

Steve BruceGeneral Commentary

                                The stocks numbers on Friday may be considered to be more accurate than the planting              figures as Mother Nature has been letting us know that she has a lot to say about what gets in and when. The producer desires to put in more corn acres as the average guess if floating around 91.250 million acres and this …

Livestock Report

Ben DiCostanzoGeneral Commentary

The June Live Cattle market gap opened lower, recovered and closed the gap then broke down, making the session low at the end of the trading session. The rally took price up to the 122.825 key level, with the high just below it at 122.80. The session low was 120.825 just above support at 120.75. It settled at 121.125. A …

Weather Driven

Steve BruceGeneral Commentary

                                                The USDA starts releasing its national crop ratings and planting/harvesting/development reports starting in April yet we may get some figures from certain states tonight. Growing season is here and we are having a few issues with too much moisture in the northwestern third of the Heartland and this might mean  some problems with corn, oats durum and spring …

Livestock Report

Ben DiCostanzoGeneral Commentary

The June Live Cattle market traded above the 124.30 resistance level early in the trading session, reaching the session high and a new high for up move at 124.90 before tumbling and breaking down to the low at 122.55. The low breached support at 122.825 and then recovered and settled at 123.50. It formed an outside candle as the range …

Grain Spreads: China Buys Corn

Sean LuskGeneral Commentary

The USDA announced the sale of 300,000 Metric Tons of US corn to China this morning. This was the first sizeable sale of US corn to China in years! There have been smaller US corn sales that have had to be GMO approved by the China Gov’t. Today’s purchase possibly confirms that US non-tariff barriers related to US GMO corn …