Grain Futures: As of 4 p.m. on Dec. 18, corn and wheat futures were higher compared to the week before, but soybeans were mixed.
March 2015 corn was posted at $4.11/bushel, up from the previous week’s $3.985/bushel, and corn for May 2015 increased to $4.195/bushel from the prior week’s $4.065/bushel. Contracts for December 2015 corn were $4.3475/bushel, up from $4.2475/bushel the week before.
Soybean prices for January 2015 were $10.35/bushel, down from the previous week’s $10.4225/bushel. March 2015 soybeans were also down, at $10.4325/bushel compared with $10.4875/bushel the week before. November 2015 soybeans, however, were up at $10.1975/bushel, compared with $10.18/bushel the week before.
March 2015 wheat punched in at $6.5525/bushel, up from the prior week’s $5.975/bushel, while May 2015 wheat contracts firmed to $6.5675/bushel from the prior week’s $6.0025/bushel. Wheat for July 2015 was $6.54/bushel, up from $6.015/bushel one week earlier.
Eastern Cornbelt: Rain and snow flurries were reported in central Indiana early in the week, and the moisture was followed by cold temperatures. Light snowfall was also reported across northern Ohio later in the week, but slightly warmer weather was in the Christmas week forecast.
Western Cornbelt: A number of winter weather advisories and storm warnings were in effect in parts of the Western Cornbelt last week.
The first, issued at midweek, covered parts of western and northern Nebraska, and called for gusty winds along with freezing rain and snowfall. “We had rain yesterday, it’s cold today, and some areas got snow,” said one Nebraska contact. The second advisory, issued for Dec. 17-18, called for 1-2 inches of snow across multiple counties in central Missouri. Sources said snowfall was also expected in parts of Iowa by the weekend.
Southern Plains: The Southern Plains was hit with cold, wet weather in mid-December that produced strong storms in some areas.
Hail and heavy rainfall were reported in parts of Oklahoma and Texas on Dec. 14, with at least one tornado confirmed in central Oklahoma. New Mexico was also in the storm’s path, with 1-3 inches of snow reported in Albuquerque and Sante Fe on Dec. 13-14. As the week advanced, up to 4 inches of snow was expected in some areas of eastern Kansas by Dec. 18.
One Kansas source said fall fieldwork in his location had been stalled by up to 4 inches of precipitation in recent weeks, with more moisture expected in the coming days. “This may knock them out until after the first of the year,” he said.
South Central: The northern half of the South Central region was experiencing winter weather conditions in mid-December. An inch or two of rain fell in southern Arkansas on Dec. 13-14. More precipitation was reported across the state as the week advanced, with snow expected in some locations by the weekend. Snowfall was also reported in southern Kentucky last week.
South Central sources reported very little fertilizer movement out of regional terminals last week. There was also minimal spring prepay business, though one contact said he expects interest to pick up as the end of the year approaches.
Southeast: Wet weather was reported in parts of Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas last week, while dry conditions prevailed across much of Florida. Forecasts called for colder weather over the Carolinas and Virginia during the Christmas week, with snowfall likely in some areas.
Several sources said the wet conditions resulted in some missed fall applications on winter wheat ground.