Good morning,

Grain markets are lower through the overnight trading session as cool weather remained over the weekend and the next 5 day forecasts show chances of rain for much of the Corn Belt. Also, traders are becoming concerned to how China will retaliate if the tariff hike is implemented in September. Corn is currently down 4 cents and soybeans are currently down 11 cents. President Trump stated that the 10% tariff hike could be revoked if China steps up U.S. ag purchases. Many will be following closely to see what comes in the U.S. – China trade disputes hoping to hear some better news in the weeks to come. The weekly crop progress report will be released this afternoon at 3 p.m. Analysts are estimating that corn condition will come in at 57% GTE (58% GTE last week, 71% GTE last year, and 69.5% 5-year average) and the soybean condition to come in at 54% GTE (54% GTE last week, 63.4% 5-year average). Ultimately, not a whole lot of fresh news to come over the weekend besides the fact that the U.S. and China are failing to make up any ground regarding the trade talks. Markets continue to remain volatile as the weather remains benign and no progress is being made with China. I would continue to advise producers to put in firm offers with your buyers to take advantage of any run in the market after the report. With that being said, it isn’t safe to rule out a release of unexpected data. If you are sitting on a large amount of old crop I would consider taking some risk away by looking to sell some amount of corn this week before the report gets here.

Have a great day!

Drake Bliss
920-348-6817
dbliss@didionmilling.com

Good morning,

The technical selling spree continued in yesterday’s session with many traders liquidating their long positions. Both corn and soybeans were pushed to 10 week lows. However, through the overnight of trade the grain markets have made a corrective bounce. Corn is currently up 6 cents and soybeans are up 5 cents. Today’s session will be important in determining if the markets will be able to hold and stabilize this overnight bounce. If we fail to hold the overnight rebound in prices we’re likely to test the lows again trying to find new buyers as the market is still speculatively long. President Trump intensified the pressure on China to reach a trade deal. He announced yesterday the imposition of an additional 10% tariff on the remaining $300 billion of Chinese goods starting September 1. The trade disputes definitely hurt the demand side of U.S. grain and oilseeds, so reaching a trade deal will prove crucial for our markets. It was expected that a trade deal would be reached by the end of the year, but with the negotiations being pushed back more and more it makes you wonder when it will really happen. Heavy rains fell overnight in CO, OK, and KS. Those same rains are expected to linger for a while and will disperse by tomorrow. Corn Belt action is expected to stay scattered until the 6-10 day time frame and above normal precipitation is expected in the 11-15 day time frame. Temperatures will trend cooler in the northern plains and belt, and trend warmer far south. The weather and any technical indicators will continue to be closely watched leading up to the August report. I would continue to advise producers to put in firm offers with your buyers leading up to the report. The outlook for the report still remains bullish, so being able to capitalize on a sudden run should prove beneficial.

Have a great Friday!

Drake Bliss
920-348-6817
dbliss@didionmilling.com

Good morning,

Markets were steady/mixed through the overnight of trade as they are now trying to make a rebound from the month end selling spree in yesterday’s session. This morning corn is currently down 3 cents and soybeans are down 6 cents. The drop in prices we saw yesterday were due to technical indicators in large part. Key supports failed early on in the trading session which spurred many traders to liquidate their long positions. Also, the non-threatening weather and the U.S. – China trade talks dwindling away for the time being didn’t help with the matter. Overall, there wasn’t much standing in the way for the speculative selling. The resolution to the ongoing trade issues remains elusive. Although not confirmed, I have heard that the chance for face-to-face trade talks have now been moved back a month and will take place sometime in September. Going forward, the next few sessions will be important. Even further liquidation is very possible as the markets try to stabilize. Traders will be keeping a very close eye on the charts. It can be expected that trades will be made based on technical indicators to finish up this week. Overall, the weather remains benign with normal to cooler temperatures. Currently, we aren’t seeing many chances for rain in our area until later in the week next week. I would continue to advise producers to put in firm offers with your buyers leading up to the August 12th report. Also, if you are still sitting on a large amount of old crop, I would consider selling some amount before the report to take some risk away from the chances of prices falling after the report. We are now a week and a half away from the much anticipated report and having a good marketing plan for before and after the report should prove beneficial!

Have a great Thursday!

Drake Bliss
920-348-6817
dbliss@didionmilling.com

Good Morning,

Grain markets are a shade lower this morning due to steady-to-better ratings that came with yesterday’s weekly report and partly because the lack of any big news regarding the U.S. – China trade talks. Corn is currently down 3 cents and soybeans are currently down 5 cents. The USDA weekly crop progress report showed the national corn condition rating improved to 58% GTE (57% expected, 57% GTE last week, 70.5% 5-year average). The national soybean rating remained the same for a 3rd consecutive week coming in at 54% GTE (54% estimated, 54% GTE last week, 67.5% 5-year average). Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wisconsin all made improvements in their corn condition ratings. Here for the state of Wisconsin we increased 3 percentage points to end up at 63% GTE estimated. Overall, trade remains choppy with many still eyeing the August report that is set to be released on the 12th. Neither the bulls nor the bears are willing to stick their necks out too far. Unless we see a break through or break down regarding the U.S. – China trade talks or a big shift in weather, I believe we will continue to see the listless price action along with muted volume. Trade is concerned with some dry pockets in southeastern Iowa and central Illinois where there have been talks of corn hurting for rain. Trade will continue to keep an eye on the weather, particularly paying attention to chances for precipitation in the areas that are already dry. The bulk of the corn crop is still in pollination stage so the weather for the next 10-15 days remains critical for this year’s crop. I believe if we see a breakthrough in the weather forecasts and precipitation falls on the dry areas we will see a further breakdown in prices. I would continue to advise producers to put in firm offers with your buyers, especially leading up to the report on the 12th. Also, if producers are sitting on a good amount of old crop, I would advise them to sell some amount and take some risk away if the report releases bearish data. It isn’t safe to rule out the USDA throwing another curveball with the way this year has gone.

Have a great day!

Drake Bliss
920-348-6817
dbliss@didionmilling.com

Good Morning,

After coming off a pretty bearish week last week, the grain markets are finding a bit of support to start the new week of trade. Corn is currently up 3 cents and soybeans are up 5 cents. I believe the markets are reacting to weather models that show a dry week ahead for much of the U.S. growing region. Weekend rains fell in the central/northern Corn Belt over the weekend, with some heavier amounts on the MO/IA border and eastern SD into northern MN and WI. There are currently rains moving across the southern and eastern Corn Belt this morning. However, weather forecasts are predicting we won’t see the rains return until we get 6-10 days down the road. The U.S. – China trade talks are set to resume this week, although expectations for a trade deal to be made anytime soon still remains low. The USDA will release the weekly crop condition report this afternoon at 3 p.m. Analysts are expecting the corn condition rating to come in at 56% GTE (57% GTE last week, 70.5% 5-year average) and the soybean condition is expected to come in at 53% GTE (54% GTE last week, 67% 5-year average). It will be interesting to see where the weekly condition ratings end up. Traders will definitely pay attention to the release of the new numbers this afternoon trying to get a better indication where yield is going to end up. However, I don’t believe the weekly condition report will have a huge effect on trade, it seems like traders are waiting to base their decision on this year’s crop after they see the August report. Ultimately, I don’t believe there will be any big news to come this week. Traders will definitely keep an eye on the trade talks even though much isn’t expected to happen. Also, I believe traders will continue to keep a close eye on the weather as it seems to be the biggest driver of prices as the moment.

Have a great day!

Drake Bliss
920-348-6817
dbliss@didionmilling.com