Market Talk

As we come out of the Labor Day weekend, we saw mixed action in the grain markets ahead of Friday's September WASDE report from USDA while money flow was strong in the cattle and hog markets to start the week.

Craig Turner of StoneX joins Market Talk to break down a grain market that rallied hard through August and is now catching its breath ahead of Friday's September WASDE. Turner walks through why funds are record long corn and meal, why the next leg higher depends on how inelastic corn and soybean demand really is, and why the Black Sea remains the wild card for wheat. He also flags two things to watch into harvest: whether end users start buying aggressively now, and how the scramble for 2027 acres between corn, soybeans and winter wheat could reshape planting decisions.

Harvest season is here, and meteorologist Eric Snodgrass (Nutrien Ag Solutions) joins Market Talk to break down a historically strong El Niño, a quiet Atlantic hurricane season, and why he expects tighter harvest windows and a volatile winter ahead. Snodgrass also makes a bold call on drought recovery by spring and flags a developing story out of South America worth watching.

Also, Cory Bratland of AgMarket.net joins Market Talk with a full rundown ahead of Friday's September WASDE. He breaks down why harvest pressure is arriving fast as corn dries down quicker than expected, what the market is already pricing in for corn and soybean yields, and why the wheat market remains one headline away from a wild swing given the Black Sea situation. Bratland also covers a strong start to the week in cattle and hogs, the lingering uncertainty around beef import plans, and why new Canadian retaliatory tariffs could be quietly weighing on corn.

Mixed market action out of the holiday weekend. We talk about it with Arlan Suderman from StoneX in our Midday Commentary.

Another volatile week across livestock and grains heading into the holiday weekend as diesel prices hit all-time highs this week. We begin the show listening back to Friday's Midday Commentary with Arlan Suderman from StoneX who discuss grains, livestock with the rumored Executive Orders from President Trump, jobs numbers and more.

Then in Segment Two, Tommy Grisafi of Ag Bull Media and Nesvick Trading joins the show to break down why it's less a farm problem and more an American problem with high diesel prices— a hidden tax touching everything from grocery prices to freight surcharges. Tommy walks through how to manage 2027 marketing risk in a high-input environment, why one client bought a December '27 put to set a floor while keeping upside open, the corn futures curve out through 2029, Friday's jobs numbers and what they mean for the Fed, and a candid take on AI already reshaping jobs in ag media.

In Segment Three, Scott Varilek of Kooima Kooima Varilek (KKV Trading) in Sioux Center, Iowa joins the show to break down the MCOOL beef labeling move, why the U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low and can't be rebuilt overnight, sluggish hog trade, Black Sea headlines driving grain, and diesel prices hitting all-time highs just as producers start budgeting for 2027.

We talk grain and livestock market pullbacks, record high diesel prices, jobs numbers and more ahead of the Labor Day weekend with Arlan Suderman, Chief Commodities Economist at StoneX in our Midday Commentary.

On Thursday's Market Talk, we wrapped up our time at the Farm Progress Show as Susan Littlefield shared a conversation with Darren Frye from Water Street Solutions to recap Thursday's trade in Segment One. Then it was on to a new episode of Cattle Chatter with Susan and Brad Kooima from KKV Trading in Segment Two.

Then, Jesse Allen checks in with Bryan Doherty from Total Farm Marketing for a recap of Thursday's market trade action in Segment Three followed by a conversation with Jon Skinner from Beck's Hybrids talking Seed IQ and more during the Farm Progress Show.

During Day 2 of the Farm Progress Show, we caught up with the folks at T&L Irrigation to learn more about their products, discuss water management and so much more. Brian Shardt, District Sales Manager for T&L from Nebraska joined us for the first half of the show. You can learn more online at https://www.tlirr.com.

Then, for the second half of the show, Jim McCormick with AgMarket.net joined us for analysis as we saw corn and soybean funds just hit an all-time record long position heading into harvest. McCormick helps break down whether the historic grain rally is being driven by funds or fundamentals, why early harvest is already underway, and what a shrinking cattle herd, beef imports and a "K-shaped economy" mean for producers this fall.

Day One of the Farm Progress Show in Boone, IA and we sit down with the team at CLAAS to learn about product announcements and more. CLAAS tractor product specialist Tanner Whipps joins Market Talk for the official public launch of CLAAS's new generation tractors at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa. We also talk with CLAAS Senior Vice President Region Americas Eric Raby about the company's three-year product launch strategy, its growing investment in Omaha, Nebraska, and how CLAAS is building out its dealer network and after-sale support across North America. And later in the show, we hear from CLAAS forage harvester specialist Alan Osterhaus as the Jaguar 1000 series makes its first appearance at the show.

In between, we talk markets in Segment Three with Steve Nicholson from Rabobank as we discuss demand, risk management and big picture trends in the grain market rally.

On Monday's show, Susan Littlefield talks weather with Eric Snodgrass in Segment One and shares a market conversation with Maree Johnson from AgMarket.net in Segment Four. In between, Jesse Allen joins us from the road heading to Farm Progress Show and talks markets with Mike Minor from Professional Ag Marketing in Segment Two and John Heinberg from Total Farm Marketing in Segment Four.

Another Friday, another headline out of Washington for the cattle market. Joe Kooima of Kooima Kooima Varilek Trading in Sioux Center, Iowa joins Market Talk to break down why President Trump's latest social media post on meat processing deregulation barely moved an already oversold cattle market, where the technical support levels sit for October live cattle and feeders, why the lean hog chart has gone quiet, and why fund money is pushing corn toward a run at $5.65 with wheat and soybeans following along.

Also corn, wheat and soybeans closed out a powerful two week rally on Friday even as they faded into the close, while the cattle market kept sliding under the weight of headline risk and weak feedyard leverage. Brady Huck of Empower Ag Trading in Kansas joins Market Talk to walk through his December and March corn seasonal charts, explain why funds keep piling into length, and break down why the cattle market's damage may not be finished yet.

We also have analysis and perspective from Mike Castle, Senior Commodities Economist at StoneX in Segment One and discuss the topic of beef on dairy and U.S./Canada trade impact on dairy in Segment Four.

Wheat is surging again on Friday, pulling the soy complex higher while corn is up just a bit. Livestock are mixed to lower and the outside markets are talking about what Fed Chair Kevin Warsh had to say this morning in Jackson Hole. Mike Castle, Senior Commodities Economist at StoneX, joins us to discuss in our Market Talk Midday Commentary.