In the News

Nominations for Agri Marketing's Product and NEW Product of the Year are now open. To enter go here.

ADVERTISEMENT

Go Whole Hog

Build your marketing muscle among pork producers with National Hog Farmer. As with hog and pig genetics, you want proven performance - National Hog Farmer's pedigree is built on its powerful user-engaged brand and multi-layered audience impact tools.

Use our innovative marketing ideas to boost your marketing strategy to reach pork producers - print, digital, mobile and advanced digital producer ID and engagement solutions and more.
Read More

WEEKLY COMMODITY HIGHLIGHTS

Nearby Futures	Weekly Change	Friday's Close	Year Ago
Corn	+0.1300	3.9775	3.6925
Soybeans	+0.1975	9.3600	8.5825
Wheat	+0.1750	5.0800	5.0800
Cattle	+1.38	112.15	116.78
Hogs	+2.35	69.60	54.43
Cotton	+2.21	63.88	76.81
Milk	+0.67	18.71	15.76
Crude Oil	+1.89	54.70	70.97

Optimism about U.S.-China trade helped drive the entire ag complex higher. Corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton all posted solid weekly gains. With high-level talks between the U.S. and China ongoing, optimism rose in the latter half of the week that they were working toward a deal. That optimism seemed to be justified on Friday when President Trump announce a "first phase" trade deal resulting in China buying tens of billions of dollars in U.S. ag products. That optimism had already faded over the weekend however, as government officials and analysts warned that there were still legal and political hurdles to clear before any deal was final. The grains complex was also supported by the arrival of winter weather across the northern Plains and northwest Corn Belt. The Dakotas were hammered by a historic winter storm that dumped snow on crops that in many areas weren't even mature, let alone harvested. Areas to the south and east, including Iowa, saw a crop-kill freeze. Freezing temperatures extended all the way into the Texas Panhandle, impacting cotton there. The grain and oilseed markets rallied despite a USDA Supply and Demand report that was generally bearish, particularly for corn.

In the livestock complex, lean hog futures had a highly volatile week, bouncing back strongly after sharp losses early in the week. The optimism about Chinese demand helped drive the hog complex late in the week, as did USDA reporting China had booked a huge purchase of 123,000 metric tons for pork for 2020 delivery. The futures market is torn between large hog supplies and strong pork demand. Live cattle futures were choppy amid a lack of cash market activity, but futures ultimately extended their rally to a fifth week, with support from expectations of higher cash prices and concern about the winter storm in the Plains.

Click on the Brock logo or call 1-800-558-3431 for more info on our services.