News & Resources

Top 5 Things to Watch

1 Dec 2024

OMAHA (DTN) -- Here are the Top 5 things the DTN Newsroom is tracking for the week of Dec. 1. Watch for coverage of these and other topics through the week on our subscription platforms as well as on www.DTNPF.com.

Note that all report release times are Central Standard Time unless otherwise noted.

1. DTN Ag Summit: Register for the 2024 DTN Virtual Ag Summit, "New Year, New Administration ... New Markets?" This online event hosts several editors, analysts and other speakers who examine the state of the national farm policy, including timing on a farm bill, the make-up of the ag committee and new leadership at USDA, and offer perspective on the grain, weather and cattle outlooks for the coming year. Sessions are Dec. 5 and 6, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. For more information and to register go here:https://dtn.link/….

See more about DTN's Virtual Ag Summit under Bonus DTN content later in this article.

2. Cattle market response: We'll continue to monitor cattle markets as they react to cattle on feed reports, as well as to export issues around screwworm.

3. Cold front dominates weather: Cold air moved into the U.S. behind a storm system east of the Rockies. Temps will be up and down through the middle of the week, and further into the month, as systems fight for dominance over the central part of the country, pushing back on cold "clipper" air from Canada, then letting it slip back down. For more on December weather, see our Ag Weather Forum blog here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….

4. Positive soybean news: As we reported late last week, soybean supplies continue to tighten. Export commitments in the first two months of the 2024-25 marketing year are already running roughly 10% over the projected annual total. We'll watch the coming weekly export sales report closely.

5. Market reports to watch: Monday, we'll see export grain inspections at 10 a.m., followed by Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production at 2 p.m. On Wednesday, the latest Broiler Hatchery and Dairy Products reports hit at 2 p.m. Thursday we have Export Sales at 7:30 a.m. along with a look at U.S. trade deficit numbers from the International Trade in Goods and Services report for October from the U.S. Census Bureau. Friday, at 7:30 a.m., we'll see the release of U.S. Employment Report, Unemployment Rate and Hourly Wages figures, and we'll have the CFTC Commitment of Traders report at 2:30 p.m.

Bonus DTN content: In the last decade, farmland prices have shifted under the pressure of farm policy, a global pandemic, a changing interest rate regime, and a broader market anxious for safe investments. The picture of U.S. farmland today is mixed, with some record sales still hitting inboxes even as many properties go unsold at auction. These mixed signals have left some producers wondering: What's going on with the farmland markets?

In the latest Field Posts podcast, hosted by Sarah Mock, DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dellinger, who's been following the farmland story, looks to what's ahead, and brings us some answers. Dellinger and Mock discuss how worried growers should be about what seems to be a growing trend of institutional purchasing of farmland -- from foreign owners to Wall Street to Bill Gates.

Then they talk about debt, interest rates, and why the farmland market today is still unlike the one many farmers experienced during the 1980s farm crisis. They look forward to the likely impacts of the U.S. political transition, and talk about how other emerging trends, from farmland succession to advanced farmland technology might alter the space going forward.

Dellinger also previews what will take place at the 2024 DTN Virtual Ag Summit Dec. 5-6.

You can listen to this and other Field Posts podcasts at https://www.dtnpf.com/…, https://www.buzzsprout.com/… and they're also available on podcast hosting sites such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Dehlinger discusses with Reporter's Notebook Host Elaine Shein some of the details on speakers and topics of the upcoming DTN Ag Summit Dec. 5-6. Check out the videos at https://www.dtnpf.com/… and https://www.dtnpf.com/….

Watch for the latest news at www.dtnpf.com, and follow and like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dtnprogressivefarmer. You can find our news on Instagram as well. Give us a follow @dtn.agnews