César Cruz

1 week ago | farmprogress.com | Brian Basting |César Cruz

Uncertainty remains high in the midst of the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China as American farmers move into their growing season. The escalation of import tariffs to the U.S. dominates the news and the trade war brings additional volatility to various markets. In addressing the ongoing trade situation, USDA included a special note in April’s supply and demand forecast: “The WASDE report only considers trade policies that are in effect at the time of publication.

1 month ago | farmprogress.com | Brian Basting |César Cruz

Crop insurance is a proven, valuable tool in a comprehensive risk management strategy. However, an updated review of various policy coverage levels and yield scenarios for 2025 highlights the limitations of relying solely on crop insurance to manage price risk. This is especially the case when actual yields exceed the APH, which has been seen in some areas. Selecting a policy for your operation is an individual decision based on a variety of factors.

2 months ago | farmprogress.com | Brian Basting |César Cruz

The events occurring in the corn market over the past week are a textbook example of the risk in attempting to predict price. March corn futures rallied to $4.9850 last week due to strong export demand, uncertainty regarding future U.S. trade policy, and crop concerns in South America. Here’s a timeline for the most recent rollercoaster ride:Feb. 2, Sunday evening. As the Feb. 4 deadline for tariffs to be imposed on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China approached, the market plummeted to $4.7250.

Dec 10, 2024 | farmprogress.com | Brian Basting |César Cruz

As calendar year 2024 winds down, preliminary U.S. corn supply and demand projections for the 2025-26 crop year are surfacing. Questions this year surround U.S. acreage intentions, South American corn production prospects, and uncertainty regarding the world demand for corn. A combination of factors may lead to a possible significant increase in U.S. ending stocks in 2025-26.

Oct 9, 2024 | farmprogress.com | Brian Basting |César Cruz

USDA’s next U.S. corn and soybean production update is Friday, Oct. 11. A wide range of private estimates for both crops’ area, yield, and production are already circulating throughout the market. U.S. corn and soybean yields continue to be variable as harvest gains momentum, which will be one of the main focuses of the October report. Here’s where harvest stands as of Oct. 6. Soybean harvest reached 47% nationwide, versus 37% last year. The five-year average is 34% (Figure 1a).