What You Need to Know Today:
Day three of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour found corn yield potential below last year in both Illinois and western Iowa.
Illinois corn yields averaged 184.2 bushels/acre, down from 199.6 bushels/acre last year and the 199.2 bushels/acre three-year average, while western Iowa yields ranged from 189.7 to 191.8 bushels/acre, compared with 195.0 to 207.3 bushels/acre last year. Illinois soybean pod counts averaged 1,430 per square yard, below 1,479 last year but above the three-year average of 1,390, while western Iowa pod counts ranged from 1,269 to 1,558, compared with 1,279 to 1,563 last year.
December corn moved above $5.00/bushel and came within ¼ cent of a new 2026 high. European corn futures also reache...
What You Need to Know Today: U.S. corn condition ratings took a surprise turn for the worse in Monday’s report, with 54 percent rated good/excellent (down 3 percent). Dry weather in the U.S. Wheat Belt is stalling planting and causing concerns for the 2027 crop, in turn boosting futures...
In a letter last week to President Trump, Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), wrote that diesel prices are squeezing farmers’ margins. As Duvall wrote: Higher diesel expenses are hitting farmers at one of the most fuel-intensive times of the year —...
Beef packer margins improved to $222/head last week, up $26 from the prior week as the Choice cutout strengthened while fed cattle prices slipped lower. The cutout rose to $376/cwt while fed cattle fell to $220/cwt, strengthening packer returns. Margins remain exceptionally strong compared with...
