Grain Futures: As of 4 p.m. on Feb. 5, corn, soybean, and wheat futures were all higher compared to the week before.
March 2015 corn was posted at $3.8525/bushel, up from the previous week’s $3.715/bushel, and corn for May 2015 firmed to $3.9325/bushel from the prior week’s $3.80/bushel. Contracts for December 2015 corn were $4.16/bushel, up from $4.0275/bushel the week before.
Soybean prices for March 2015 were $9.8125/bushel, up from $9.6825/bushel the week before. May 2015 soybeans firmed to $9.8775/bushel from the prior week’s $9.7475/bushel, and November 2015 soybeans were quoted at $9.6475/bushel, up from $9.5125/bushel at last report.
March 2015 wheat punched in at $5.2575/bushel, up from $5.0775/bushel the week before, while May 2015 wheat contracts firmed to $5.2725/bushel from the previous week’s $5.125/bushel. Wheat for July 2015 was $5.285/bushel, up from $5.17/bushel the week before.
Eastern Cornbelt: Winter Storm Linus left its mark on the Eastern Cornbelt in early February, dropping heavy snow early in the week and bringing very cold temperatures as the week advanced.
Snowfall on Feb. 1 totaled 16.2 inches in Chicago and 13.7 inches in Detroit. Snow accumulation was also heavy in parts of northern Indiana and northern Ohio, but the central and southern areas of both states escaped with only gusty winds and a light coating of snow and ice.
Cold temperatures descended after the precipitation, however, with lows falling to the single digits at midweek in Chicago, and wind chills there dropping to subzero lows. In central Indiana, wind chills of 2-8 degrees were reported on Feb. 3.
Western Cornbelt: The previous week’s record high temperatures were replaced by a powerful winter storm in early February that dropped heavy snow across much of the Western Cornbelt. The system also ushered in much colder weather.
The storm brought high winds and up to 8 inches of snow to parts of eastern Nebraska on Feb. 1. Snow levels were deeper in Iowa, where totals by Feb. 2 included 10 inches in Des Moines and 14 inches in Johnston. One Iowa source reported a foot of snow in his area, with temperatures falling to subzero lows by midweek.
Missouri was also in the storm’s path, with wet, heavy snowfall reported in central and northern areas of the state, along with high winds that produced drifts up to four feet high. Sources reported single digit temperatures in central Missouri on Feb. 2.
Southern Plains: Snow and ice were reported in eastern Kansas early in the week, with cold temperatures also blanketing much of Oklahoma as the week progressed. Highs in central Oklahoma at midweek fell from the mid-50s to the mid-teens in a matter of hours, and sources said strong winds accompanied the temperature drop.
The arrival of February also brought heavy rains to central Kansas, where sources said growers had been topdressing winter wheat and spreading phosphates and potash in preparation for spring planting. “The wheat looks good, and we are cautiously optimistic,” said one Kansas source.
South Central: Wet, cold weather covered much of the South Central region during the first week of February.
A dusting of snow was reported early in the week in northern and central Tennessee after temperatures fell to the low 30s and upper 20s over the weekend. Light snowfall was also reported in eastern Kentucky by midweek, while freezing rain coated northern Arkansas.
The cold front extended down to southern Mississippi, where news reports on Feb. 5 talked of rainfall and temperatures in the 30s and 40s.
Southeast: A winter weather advisory was issued for western and southwestern North Carolina early