Michelle Rook

National Reporter

Michelle Rook is a national agricultural reporter and market analyst for Farm Journal’s AgDay and U.S. Farm Report, and she is the host of Markets Now. With expertise in commodity markets, grain trading, and agricultural journalism, she delivers daily market updates and analysis to farmers nationwide. She earned the NAFB Farm Broadcaster of the Year award and the prestigious Doan Excellence in Reporting Award.

Latest Stories

Market Analysis

Grains Fall to End 2025 as Soybeans Plunge: Cattle Rally

Soybeans scored new lows for the move on the last trading day of 2025. Randy Martinson says the market saw technical selling with end of quarter and end of year positioning and favorable weather in Brazil.

December 31, 2025 03:29 PM

Michelle Rook

Market Analysis

Is the Slide in Grains All About South America? What Rallied Livestock Tuesday

Rich Nelson with Allendale, Inc. says there is a general lack of news for the grain markets so some of the pressure is coming from end of the quarter and end of the year positioning by traders.

December 30, 2025 03:25 PM

Michelle Rook

Market Analysis

Grains Fall With Macro Markets, Year End Squaring: Cattle Mixed

Kevin Duling with KD Investors says some algorithm trades moved the grain market with year end position squaring but there was also spillover from macro markets like gold and silver.

December 29, 2025 04:25 PM

Michelle Rook

Market Analysis

Cattle End Higher, What Breaks The Sideways Trade? Grains and Hogs Ease Friday

Joe Kooima with Kooima Kooima Varilek says the live and feeder cattle futures board has remained sideways since around Dec. 11. However, there is one thing that could break that trend.

December 27, 2025 11:36 AM

Michelle Rook

Market Analysis

Grains See Santa Claus Rally: Livestock Get a Lump of Coal

Mike Minor with Professional Ag Marketing says the grains saw a Santa Claus rally on technical buying as under light volume its easier to move a market. Hogs reacted to the bearish Hogs and Pigs Report.

December 24, 2025 01:13 PM

Michelle Rook

Farmland

Northwest Iowa Farm Serves Up 12 Days of Ice Cream for the Holidays

Stensland Family Farmers started their creamery to diversify their Northwest Iowa farm. Today they make over 80 flavors of ice cream at the farm and this time of year offer many holiday favorites and promotions.

December 24, 2025 10:18 AM

Michelle Rook

Market Analysis

Will China Buy 25 MMT of Beans in 2026 and What Rallies Grains?

Dan Basse with Ag Resource Company says the next focus for the soybean market in 2026 will be South American weather and what does China do on long term soybean purchases.

December 23, 2025 04:09 PM

Michelle Rook

Market Analysis

Grains Quiet Tuesday But What Could Spark a Rally? Cattle See Profit Taking

Grains are quiet Tuesday morning. Volume is light as we are into holiday trading already says DuWayne Bosse of Bolt Marketing.

December 23, 2025 10:18 AM

Michelle Rook

Market Analysis

Grain and Livestock Rally Monday: Can the Markets Build on it?

Arlan Suderman with StoneX, Inc. says some of Monday’s buying was tied to money flow and end of the year profit taking he says. The higher energy market was also supportive of the grains.

December 22, 2025 04:41 PM

Michelle Rook

Market Analysis

Cattle Hit Fresh Highs on Bullish COF but Can it Continue? Grains Also Rally Monday

Live and feeder cattle futures made new highs for the move Monday morning after a strong close Friday and higher weekly closes. However, the big catalyst is the bullish USDA Cattle on Feed Report data according to Rich Nelson of Allendale, Inc.

December 22, 2025 10:04 AM

Michelle Rook