Touring corn and soybean fields in U.S. Midwest

Jun 22, 2017

Will grain yields be impacted by the wet cold and late spring planting season of 2017?

How will this impact the growing season and how are the crops currently progressing? How are the stands and populations and drowned out areas and holes? Did any acres get switched from corn to soybeans? How will the current state of the crops impact the price of corn and soybeans at harvest time?

As in previous years, Farms.com Risk Management Chief Commodity Strategist Moe Agostino will tour 12 U.S. states to provide farmers with an indication of where grain prices may be headed and provide them with a selling advantage as part the 2017 U.S. Corn Belt Crop Tour.

2016 Cornfield in Indiana

Indiana field in June 2016 -- reviewed as part of 2016 Tour

The opportunity to potentially book the price of corn or soybeans at the right time, thereby increasing bottom line results, can be appealing to many farmers.

Agostino will visit 12 U.S. states, starting in Ohio and then moving on to Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, ending in Michigan. The tour will take place from June 24, 2017 to July 10, 2017.

As Agostino travels the 12 states he will be visiting farmers’ fields, conducting interviews with farmers where they will share tips for best farming practices, interviewing corn and soybean experts, he will also be tweeting throughout the tour to provide farmers with an overview of the current growing season.

Farms.com Risk Management is still looking for farmers to interview and, more importantly, farmers’ fields to visit and assess in each state. If you are interested in volunteering to have you farm featured on the tour, please complete the online Volunteer Application form.

If you would like to follow Agostino as he tours, there are three options:

Visit the Farms.com Risk Management Website
Download the Farms.com App:
Follow the Hashtag #cornbelt17 on Twitter

Every farmer needs a great pair of work boots for the farm. Farms.com Risk Management is inviting corn and soybean farmers to participate in the tour by tweeting their best farming tips to achieve higher corn and soybean yields. Those who participate will have the chance to win a pair of Blundstone CSA work boots!

In addition to tweeting their farming tips, to enter the contest, farmers can tweet a photo of their field, retweet a #cornbelt17 tweet, or like a #cornbelt17 tweet, and they will automatically be entered to win the Blundstone boots. Follow Farms.com Risk Management on twitter @FarmsMarketing.

The tour is being sponsored by the following companies: Greenfield Global, Alpine, Better Farming, Ag Buyers Guide, U.S. Farmer Magazine, Climate FieldView, Maizex, Alpine/Nachurs, RCM Alternatives, Rocky Mountaineer, and Travel Only.

Video: Will the 2025 USDA December Crop Report Be a Market Mover/Surprise?

Historically, the USDA December crop report is a non-event or another dud report as the USDA reserves any final supply changes to the final report in January of the following year in this case 2026. But after the longest U.S. government shutdown in history at 43 days and no October crop report will they provide more data/surprise and make an exception?
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The final Stats Canada production report was bearish canola and wheat projection a record crop in both (it adds to the global glut of supplies) and bullish local corn and soybean prices in Ontario/Quebec thanks to a drought. It will not help the fund flow short-term, the USDA may need to offset it?
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More inflows into Bitcoin this past week saw prices rebound back above 90,000 with support at 82,000 and resistance at 96,000.
A V-shaped bottom in cattle suggest the lows are in after Mexico reported another new world screwworm case. Lower weights, seasonal demand and higher U.S. beef select/choice values with a continued closure of the Mexican border to cattle will result in a resumption of higher cattle futures into yearend.
Australia is expected to produce its 3rd largest wheat crop ever at 36 mmt adding to the global glut of supplies.
Reports of ASF in hogs in Spain the largest pork exporter in Europe could see the U.S. win more pork export business long-term.
If the rains verify into next week of 3-5 inches for Brazil it would go a long way to fixing the dry regions from the last 2-months, but the European weather model has been wrong for the past 2-months!
Natural gas futures are surging to the 3rd price count as frigid hold temps set in.
CDN $ is also surging to end the week on a very resilient economy and better employment numbers suggesting no interest rate cuts next week.
Finally, the CFTC report showed funds were net buyers of soybeans but sellers of corn, canola and wheat. In real time the funds have gone back to selling as they take some profits.