Commodity Week

Todd E. Gleason

Established 1988 Commodity Week is a weekly wrap-up of the CME Group grain markets with analysis and guest interviews. The program is generally recorded Thursday afternoons and posted online by 7:00 p.m. central. It airs on WILL AM580 during the 2:00 p.m. hour each Friday. Commodity Week is a production of University of Illinois Extension and Illinois Public Media. Like the daily Closing Market Report, it is hosted by University of Illinois Extension Farm Broadcaster Todd Gleason. website: willag.org twitter: @commodityweek

  1. 5D AGO

    Mar 26 | Commodity Week

    Panelists - Dave Chatterton, SFarmMarketing.com - Greg Johnson, TGM TotalFarmMarketing.com - Curt Kimmel, AgMarket.net The March 26 edition of Commodity Week features host Todd Gleason with analysts Dave Chatterton, Curt Kimmel, and Greg Johnson. The panel identifies the geopolitical conflict in the Middle East, specifically involving Iran, as the primary driver of current market volatility. This "headline risk" is dictating money flow, inflating energy markets, and elevating fertilizer costs. The analysts note that if the conflict is prolonged, as expected, high input costs will persist into the 2027 crop year. Regarding crop marketing, all analysts recommend that producers execute new crop sales to capitalize on the current price rally, which has pushed levels above break-even and crop insurance guarantees. Greg Johnson specifically advises producers to be 40-50% sold on soybeans and 25-30% sold on corn, citing the potential for heavy soybean acreage and significant South American competition. Curt Kimmel emphasizes the necessity of utilizing defensive hedging and price floors to manage the extreme market volatility. The panel anticipates the upcoming EPA Renewable Volume Obligations (RVO) and Small Refinery Exemptions (SRE) announcements may trigger a "buy the rumor, sell the fact" market reaction, as positive expectations appear to be already priced into the market. Dave Chatterton warns that the market build-up into the announcement naturally positions it for disappointment. Ahead of the USDA Prospective Plantings report, acreage estimates center around 94 to 94.5 million acres for corn and 86 million acres for soybeans. Dave Chatterton notes that high input costs may push some marginal acres to soybeans, particularly in areas like the Dakotas or Southern Illinois where pre-buying fertilizer is less common. Weather conditions across growing regions present a sharp contrast. Topsoil moisture in the Eastern Corn Belt is adequate for early planting. Conversely, severe drought in the Western Plains—specifically Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska—is actively deteriorating the hard red winter wheat crop, a factor the panel continues to monitor closely. ★ Support this podcast ★

    31 min
4.9
out of 5
20 Ratings

About

Established 1988 Commodity Week is a weekly wrap-up of the CME Group grain markets with analysis and guest interviews. The program is generally recorded Thursday afternoons and posted online by 7:00 p.m. central. It airs on WILL AM580 during the 2:00 p.m. hour each Friday. Commodity Week is a production of University of Illinois Extension and Illinois Public Media. Like the daily Closing Market Report, it is hosted by University of Illinois Extension Farm Broadcaster Todd Gleason. website: willag.org twitter: @commodityweek

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