Last Wednesday, CME’s FedWatch tool showed a 60% chance of a quarter-point rate hike by the Fed this week. Since then, an almost uninterrupted rise in energy prices and lower trends on Wall Street has that percentage now at 88% chance of a quarter-point hike today, an analyst suggesting another quarter-point hike by December. In the grain trade, rain chances …
Upcoming Peanut Festivals
There’s a big day in September. It’s September the 13th. It’s better known as National Peanut Day. It honors the versatility and the rich heritage of peanuts, which are a beloved snack in America. The National Peanut Day is a chance to work some peanuts into a healthy diet or used anyway as a tasty lunchbox snack or in a …
New Trade Opportunities
Australia and New Zealand are major livestock producing countries, and USDA says that could create additional opportunities for American feed products. Luke Lindberg, USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, recently traveled to both countries as part of a U.S. agricultural trade mission. While Australia and New Zealand are already mature markets, Lindberg says USDA still sees opportunities to …
Remembering 9-11
We join others never forgetting those lost 25 years ago this day, coordinated terrorist attacks in New York, Washington DC, and those who thwarted an additional attack crashing in a field in rural Pennsylvania. We pause and we remember. This is the Bottom-Line Report. A monthly supply demand and production estimate seems less urgent today, yet the grain trade awaits …
Federal Peanut Program Updates
A part of the federal peanut program passed by Congress is the ARC program and the PLC program. Farmers in the peanut area usually sign up for the PLC, price loss coverage. That means that the average price of peanuts this past year is much lower than the suggested reference price that’s the Farm Bill. The Farm Bill has a …
Projected Corn Yields
StoneX released updated production estimates ahead of USDA numbers that come tomorrow morning, and they still see a national corn yield just short of 183 bushels an acre, three bushels above USDA’s August number, 10 bushels above the pro-farmer number. StoneX places the corn yield nationally 182.9, and a crop over 16.2 billion bushels. Their soybean estimates more in line …
National Peanut Day
National Peanut Day is coming up September the 13th. It honors the versatility and the rich heritage of peanuts, which is a beloved snack in America. National Peanut Day is a chance to work some peanuts into a healthy diet, used in most any way with tasty lunchbox snacks or as tasty stir-fry sauce. Peanuts make a great snack that …
Custom Harvest Rates to Change
Custom harvest rates, of course, can vary from state to state and crop to crop. Universities suggest custom operators carefully figure the cost of fuel this year before figuring a final rate. To be helpful, University of Illinois suggests a custom rate for corn, $54.40 an acre. Soybeans, $47.60, including overhead, fuel and labor. Iowa State University shows $50.60 an …
Remembering Charles Hatcher
A good friend to agriculture has passed. Former Congressman Charles Hatcher of Albany and Camilla, Georgia, has passed at 87. He graduated from Georgia Southern University and later earned a law degree from the University of Georgia Law School. He developed a thriving law practice in Albany, Georgia for many years, and then he started serving in the Georgia House …
Peanut Harvesting Time
South Georgia, Florida, and Alabama are now preparing for peanut harvest time. The growers are keeping a close eye on the skies, trying to make sure they get back into the field, and the global markets navigating a highly complicated crop season. While Georgia comfortably leads the nation in peanut production, maintaining the dominance this season requires farmers to manage …










