Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Wheat”
Wheat Boom During the Civil War Gives Way to a Market Collapse During the Civil War, strong wheat prices encouraged many American farmers to plant more of the crop. With wheat bringing attractive returns, producers expanded acreage to take advantage of the favorable market. But the situation changed dramatically when the war ended. Wheat prices fell sharply, leaving farmers who …
Grain Storage Becomes a Growing Challenge As grain production expanded across the American Midwest during the mid-1800s, farmers faced a growing problem: they were producing more grain than they could immediately use or sell. Without adequate storage, farmers could be forced to sell their crops simply because they had nowhere to keep them. The development of additional grain storage capacity …
International Demand Helps Shape Colonial Farming Before 1720, agriculture in the mid-Atlantic colonies was largely based on small-scale farming operations. Many colonists relied on farming not only to feed their families and communities but also to generate products that could be exchanged for manufactured goods from overseas. Corn and flour became important commodities in the region’s trade with the West …
With nine months of trade now in the books, we review our list of 48 commodities and how their performance rates since New Year’s. Conflicts in Iraq and Ukraine, of course, have had energy way out in front all year long. As of today, heating oil, gasoline, and crude oil remain numbers one, two, and three on the list. Heating …
The grain trade looks to have found some support levels that look to hold longer term. Looking at the grain trade today, December corn holding the 5.15 level or better into next week. November soybeans 12.75 or better. And looking at the wheat trade in Chicago, December 7.18 or better. Elsewhere, that VIX or fear index on Wall Street, back …
How Buffalo Helped Transform the Grain Trade The movement of grain from farms to markets has always depended on transportation and efficient handling systems. In the early 1840s, a major innovation emerged in Buffalo, New York, that would dramatically change the way grain was moved, stored and loaded onto ships. The story of the modern grain elevator can be traced …
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 …
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 …
Late week highs in corn, soybean, and wheat futures could be new targets going into the September crop report from USDA a week from today. Watching December corn at the 550 level, November soybeans 1324-1325. Most analysts expect USDA to come below the pro-farmer corn number and at or maybe a little below their soybean number. Several producers that I’ve …
Well, you might say the grain trade is taking yesterday’s production numbers with a grain of salt. Already looking forward to this September report on the 11th. Yesterday’s report was based on farmer surveys. Surveys that were returned anyway, and satellite data. Now, in the coming weeks, private crop scouts and USDA teams will be heading to the fields and …
