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Coming in April: a Salute to the Nat'l Assn of Farm Broadcasting's (NAFB) 75th anniversary! And the Best of NAMA award honorees.

WEEKLY COMMODITY HIGHLIGHTS

Nearby Futures	Weekly Change	Friday's Close	Year Ago
Corn	+0.0500	3.7825	3.7600
Soybeans	-0.0550	9.0375	10.2975
Wheat	+0.0375	4.6600	4.5575
Cattle	+1.58	123.50	108.40
Hogs	+9.15	95.68	75.48
Cotton	+1.08	76.58	82.15
Milk	+0.46	15.34	14.31
Crude Oil	+0.06	58.88	64.30

The grain markets were mostly higher on the week, with underpinning from the terrible flooding across the Missouri River Valley in Nebraska and Iowa. Corn and wheat both made multi-week highs, with corn in particular underpinned by the flooding. In addition to the central Plains, excessive moisture in parts of the South will also delay or prevent corn planting. However, these delays could mean more acres as farmers are forced to switch to beans. For wheat, the main concern is the large snowpack in the northern Plains, which will both delay spring wheat planting and cause some flooding as it melts. Cotton futures were underpinned by planting delays in the Delta, along with crude oil's rally to four-month highs. The upside for grain and oilseeds was limited by lackluster export demand and weak ethanol demand, along with the lack of any clear progress on U.S.-China trade. The two sides hold high-level negotiations this week in Beijing. As for the flooding, it will likely go down as the worst natural disaster in Nebraska's history, with losses already topping an estimated $1 billion. In addition to cattle lost and fields that will be unable to plant, many grain facilities have been damaged.

In the livestock complex, lean hog futures completed another remarkable week, soaring to fresh contract highs amid speculative buying driven by the African swine fever crisis in China. The epidemic is expected to drive increased U.S. exports. Meanwhile cash hog prices also continued to soar, and wholesale pork values rose. Live cattle futures were also higher, underpinned by the strength in hogs and by concern over cattle losses in the Plains. However, cash trade late in the week was a little underwhelming at $128-29 in the southern Plains, and the Cattle on Feed report on Friday afternoon was bearish versus expectations.

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