USDA shocked the market this morning as it projected the national corn yield at 153 bu./acre. Leading up the report, Jerry Gulke, President of the Gulke Group, says the market was trading yield expectations in the 155 bu./acre range.
They’ve recognized there’s a problem out there. I think they wanted to get ahead of it a little bit for fear of being criticized,” Gulke says. “They left the acres the same, but lowered the harvested acres by 500,000. What was interesting in the corn was they didn’t lower any of the acres in those four states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Minnesota) they resurveyed.”
Interestingly, the majority of the prevent planting in those states was in the Durum and spring wheat markets. Corn carried the spring in the traditional wheat markets of the northern plains.
Jerry Gulke, president of the Gulke Group says at the same time the latest CFTC Commitment of Traders report showed the large speculator adding to their net long positions in corn and soybeans and have been extending that position since the week of July 6.
Naomi Blohm with Total Farm Marketing says the grain markets saw risk off selling by traders heading into the weekend as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was schedule to meet with his Chinese counterpart to lay the groundwork for the U.S. China Summit.
Scott Varilek with Kooima Kooima Varilek says the market has seen sloppy trade and profit taking with news of the Santa Teresa port opening but it isn’t new news.
Matt and Janna Splitter grew their farm by investing in people. Now the test is whether the farm can run without them — and which acres are worth keeping.