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presents WEEKLY COMMODITY HIGHLIGHTS

Nearby Futures	Weekly Change	Friday's Close	Year Ago
Corn	-.14 ¾	6.80 ¼	6.58 ½
Soybeans	-.35	13.89	12.21 ½
Wheat	-.31	7.47 ¼	6.50
Cattle	-.63	132.95	121.63
Hogs	-.15	86.23	85.18
Cotton	+.39	75.05	95.92
Milk	-.07	18.03	17.09
Crude Oil	+2.29	93.09	103.22

Comments: The deal to avoid the U.S. fiscal cliff provided only short-lived support for agricultural futures due to its failure to address high government spending and forecasts for higher taxes to slow U.S. economic growth. Grain and soybean futures remained under significant pressure from commodity fund selling to start 2013 amid technical weakness, sluggish export demand and rising estimates of S. American soybean production. A rebound in the value of the dollar also hit commodity prices in general as the minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve Open Market Committee's December meeting raised doubts about how committed the Fed is to its latest round of quantitative easing. This Friday will be a big day for the grain markets with USDA releasing its Annual Crop Summary, Quarterly Grain Stocks and Winter Wheat Seedings reports along with its monthly supply/demand update. Livestock futures ended the week slightly lower as midweek gains spurred by fund buying were erased by profit taking. Live cattle futures were pressured by their premium to cash and concerns about high beef prices. Lean hog futures shook off USDA's negative inventory report, but their premium to cash capped buying interest along with negative packer operating margins. Cotton futures edged higher on fund buying and hopes for strong Chinese demand. Click on the Brock logo or call 1-800-558-3431 for more info on our services.