One of the interesting sideshows of the U.S. government shutdown is its impact on the agricultural futures markets. It's interesting because there's no way to predict or measure what that impact might be. USDA has gone dark as has its websites. Here's what we're missing because of this disruption:
Daily export sales announcements. Maybe there haven't been any export sales in excess of 100,000 MT, but we don't know that. Weekly export sales data that shows total sales for the week and updates marketing year totals by destination. Weekly crop progress reports that show crop condition ratings, winter wheat planting progress, harvest progress, etc. Weekly commitment of traders reports that do give the market a sense of where the specul...
What You Need to Know Today: Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans continued to accelerate, with USDA reporting another 558 KMT sold to China and 236 KMT to unknown destinations. Combined with sales announced Wednesday and Thursday, the latest purchases bring the three-day total to approximately...
Key Takeaways: With the fall calf run now upon us, producers are finally getting a glimpse of what their realized profits will be for 2026. Some producers may have already obtained a strong estimate of 2026 revenues, especially if calves were forward sold in, for example, the mid-summer...
As fall begins, wild migratory birds are starting their seasonal migration. That has the industry and government officials worried about the potential spread, again, of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Some members of Congress have called for the United States to be prepared for a pote...
