Market Anticipating Bearish Numbers In USDA May Supply-Demand Report
USDA releases its May Supply and Demand report on Thursday, which is the Department’s initial assessment of U.S. and world crop supply and demand prospects and U.S. prices for the 2012/13 marketing year. It will also present the first calendar-year 2013 projections of U.S. livestock, poultry, and dairy products. The market has been anticipating the report giving bearish news, which fostered a significant sell-off of commodities on Wednesday. Let’s look at the potential numbers…
Posted by Stu Ellis on 05/09 at 11:24 PM | (0) Comments | Permalink
How Can Corn Prices Move In Three Directions At Once?
Wily three-headed monsters lived in caves of Greek and Roman mythology, but the three personalities of the corn market live in the trading pits at the CME, and have been about as challenging to conquer. New crop futures, old crop futures, and the basis for cash corn each have a mind of their own, and while you are addressing one head-on, another may come around to bite you in the tailgate.
Posted by Stu Ellis on 05/09 at 01:03 AM | (0) Comments | Permalink
Special Edition: Cornbelt Update
The Farmgateblog presents a special edition of Cornbelt Update, a weekly newsletter to subscribers. Please enjoy and be informed, and if you would like to subscribe, information about that process follows the newsletter items.
Posted by Stu Ellis on 05/06 at 11:51 PM | (1) Comments | Permalink
Should Conservation Compliance Be Linked To Crop Insurance?
As Congress and agriculture prepare for a new Farm Bill, it appears the primary safety net will be the crop insurance program. Twenty years ago, only 20% of farmers used it, but today only 20% are not using it, which is a function of greater opportunities for indemnity payments. But in the wake of getting farmers to use crop insurance to manage their production and revenue risk, the tool has become a club to threaten farmers with penalties, should farmers misbehave.
Posted by Stu Ellis on 05/03 at 11:22 PM | (1) Comments | Permalink
Cowboys Can’t Afford Another Lightning Strike
The old saying that lightning never strikes twice in the same place has been disproven by the beef market which has been reeling from lightning strikes, first by lean, finely-textured beef, and more recently by the discovery of a cow with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The market has declined from $129 per cwt to $120 for finished cattle before these events, and the futures market has lost $15 for June live cattle contracts. Don’t bet on the saying “The third time is the charm.”
Posted by Stu Ellis on 05/03 at 12:09 AM | (1) Comments | Permalink