Reviewing our list of 48 commodities that we track each day here at the Bottomline Report, grains and livestock switched positions as the month of July came to a close. During the month, the only grain ending in the red, as a matter of fact, was oats, down nearly 4%. Extended hot, dry weather helping soybeans gain 5% for the …
A look into what the July Cattle Reports Show
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released the July cattle reports. USDA Livestock Analyst Anthony Fischer tells us what those reports show. Fischer said, “Cattle inventory on July 1st was 94.2 million head, which was slightly above a year ago.” “The number of beef cows was 28.5 million head, which was about one percent below a year ago. Producers indicated …
What to Look for Ahead of Sept. Federal Reserve Board Meeting
Analysts at the CME Group and certainly on Wall Street already looking ahead to the September meeting of the Federal Reserve Board. The board we mentioned yesterday does not meet in August, so the next date for market watchers, September 15th and 16th. Updated rate decision comes early afternoon on the 16th. CME FedWatch tool shows near certainty there will …
Federal Reserve Board Concludes Meeting
The Federal Reserve Board concludes its two-day July meeting today with an announcement on interest rates early afternoon. A week ago today, the CME FedWatch tool showed an 80 percent chance the Fed would leave interest rates unchanged. We know what’s happened to crude oil in the past seven days, one of several factors the Board considers when looking at …
GA Survey Aims to Uncover Issues Faced on the Farm
A survey is being conducted through the end of this week in Georgia about the real expenses and real problems down on the farm. The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture, the Georgia Farm Bureau, and the University of Georgia College of Public Health, they’ve partnered together to launch a Georgia Farmer Profitability Survey. This is a statewide effort to measure the …
USDA Plans to Reopen Southern Livestock Ports
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking a major step toward restoring livestock trade with Mexico. USDA announced a phased reopening of southern ports of entry beginning with the Douglas, Arizona, cattle crossing on August 24. The move comes after nearly a year of restrictions designed to protect the U.S. livestock industry from the threat of New World Screwworm, a …
Petroleum Reserve Lowest in Years
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve was established in 1975 to protect the U.S. from oil supply disruptions. The current supply in the reserve is the lowest in over 40 years. Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell another 5 million barrels last week. This is the 17th week in a row of a weekly drawdown, and it leaves total reserves at just 311 million …
Agricultural Organizations Write to Washington on Behalf of Farmers
The American Farm Bureau and other agricultural organizations have sent a letter to Washington urging them to help farmers currently. They said a combination of poor commodity prices, record high production costs, and shrinking margins have left many farm families with substantial uncovered losses and little working capital to fall back on for the next year. Farmers are still contending …
Cattle on Feed Report to Shed Light on Cattle Futures
This afternoon’s cattle on feed report could at least stabilize cattle futures at recent lower levels. As if the extended heat were not enough for cattlemen to battle across the country, open interest in live cattle futures has plunged to the lowest level of the year. Feeder cattle index is now the lowest since mid-January. Heavy selling reappeared around midweek, …
U.S. Dairy Industry Backs Administration in Support of Canadian Market Access
The U.S. dairy industry is applauding the Trump administration’s latest effort to challenge Canadian dairy trade practices and defend market access promised under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. The White House announced this week it will impose a 50% tariff on dairy imports from Canada, invoking Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930. Administration officials say the action is …










