Analytics
U.S. pork exports to outpace chicken and beef
USDA Economic Research Service projections show U.S. pork exports are expected to continue growing through 2035 and to remain ahead of chicken and beef in export volume. The outlook is based on the USDA Agricultural Projections to 2035 (February 2026) and the April 2026 World Agricultural Supply ...
Grains rebound as WASDE and fertilizer risks loom
Grain prices recovered late in the week as technical buying and short-covering pushed a broad set of contracts higher heading into the weekend. Corn gained roughly 0.75% and soybeans about 1.5% while winter wheat posted mixed, mostly modest gains as traders rotated back into long positions. Energ...
Live Cattle Futures Slip as Cash Prices Stay Firm
Live cattle futures lost ground on Friday, with the June contract finishing the week weaker after several session declines. Trading activity showed futures falling even as physical cattle sales held up, leaving packers and feedlot operators to weigh the disconnect between the cash and futures mar...
Cattle Futures Fall Despite Strong Cash Trade
Live cattle futures slipped on Friday, retreating 82 cents at the close as the June contract fell for the week. June down $4.10 this week even as cash trade held mostly in a $256–260 cash range , with southern deals reported at $256–258 and northern trade at $258–...
Pork Exports Surge; Beef Variety Meats Shine
U.S. pork exports posted one of their strongest months on record in March, according to USDA data compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation. 285,567 metric tons shipped, an increase of 6% from a year earlier, and exporters said demand was broad across key markets. Shipments wer...
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Cattle Pull Back; Corn Tops $5, Soybeans Rally
Grains closed mostly higher while cattle and hog futures eased after strong recent gains. The USDA-reported average steer price hit a record, with the national average at $255.02 steer , and traders reacted to profit-taking and technical selling in the live and feeder cattle pits.... -
How Long Can Soy Oil Support Soybeans?
Soybean markets this year have been driven more by oil than beans, with soy oil futures leading U.S. agricultural commodities as traders chase energy and biofuel demand. 54% soy oil rally through April pushed soy oil to the top of ag performance, while soybean futures lagged at r... -
Cattle futures hit record highs
Packers moved aggressively into the cash market last week, starting bids near $250 per hundredweight live and pushing both cash and futures sharply higher early in the week. Futures activity accelerated again on Friday morning before retreating into the close, with live cattle posting a bearish k... -
Farmer Sentiment Falls in April on Input Concerns
Farmer sentiment slipped in April, with the Purdue University–CME Group Ag Economy Barometer dropping from 127 in March to 121 AEB index . The pullback was driven more by weaker readings on current conditions than by changes in expectations for the future. The monthly survey shows... -
Producer Sentiment and Farmland Value Expectations
The Purdue University–CME Group Ag Economy Barometer (AEB) showed improved producer confidence in March 2026, with the headline index at Index 127 . The monthly survey, based on roughly 400 U.S. agricultural producers, reports both current conditions and future expectations that h... -
Corn Starting Monday with Gains
Corn futures opened Monday with modest gains as nearby contracts moved higher early in the session. Up 3-4 cents in early trade, futures overall showed mixed action with some contracts down a fraction of a cent and others up a few cents, while March and December posted weekly gai... -
Broiler placements continue to outpace 2025
U.S. broiler chicken numbers kept rising this week, with the USDA reporting 256.077 million broiler-type eggs set into incubation, an increase of 317,000 from the prior week and 3% above last year. 256.077 million eggs were set, while the reported average hatchability edged down ... -
Wheat Rally Lifts Corn; Soybeans Lag
Wheat futures pushed to fresh contract highs and the complex is trading with a wider risk premium as weather, fertilizer shortages and geopolitics tighten the outlook. Wheat above $7 is underpinning nearby grain markets, with dry forecasts in U.S. wheat areas and planting delays ... -
Crop Progress Recap: Fast Planting, Weather Risks
USDA’s latest Crop Progress report shows U.S. farmers moving quickly into the field this season, with planting running ahead of recent averages in key crops. 25% corn planted of the national corn crop is in the ground, topping the five-year average, and about 7% of corn has emerg... -
Corn Near $5; Soybeans Slip as Planting Advances
U.S. grain futures opened the day with corn leading gains and soybeans under pressure as planting moves forward. Traders pushed front-month corn to three-week highs, with December contracts trading back near $4.85 December corn and November soybeans recently trading around <stron... -
Grain Markets: Corn, Soybeans Mixed; Wheat Retreats
Grain prices were mixed heading into the weekend, with winter wheat pulling back on profit-taking while corn and soybeans recorded modest gains. Traders said wheat’s earlier lift, tied in part to higher crude prices, left contracts vulnerable to technical selling that pushed some front-month whea... -
U.S. milk production rises in Q1 2026
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reports U.S. milk output continued to climb in early 2026. March production +2.4% year-over-year and the January–March quarter rose Q1 milk +2.9% , according to the agency. The gains reflect modest increases in per-c...
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