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Closing Market Report

Today's wrap-up on the agricultural markets: news, analysis, and weather

Apr 20 | Closing Market Report

- Curt Kimmel, AgMarket.net
- Use 10oz of Metribuzin on Waterhemp
- FAPRI Cautions RVO Soybean Push

- Mark Russo, EverStream.ai

The April 20, 2026, Closing Market Report covers several key agricultural updates, beginning with analyst Curt Kimmel noting fluctuating grain markets influenced by adverse weather in the wheat belt and ongoing spring planting progress. Ben Brown from the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) discusses their 10-year agricultural outlook, highlighting a persistent financial gap between the crop and livestock sectors. He also warns that subtle biofuel policy details regarding international feedstocks could unexpectedly weaken domestic soybean oil demand before 2028. Meteorologist Mark Russo reports that recent cold snaps likely caused minimal widespread damage to winter wheat and forecasts a drier, warming trend favorable for Midwest planting, though he notes growing concerns over dry conditions for Brazil's safrinha corn crop. Finally, the broadcast briefly highlights research recommending a specific 10-ounce application rate of Metribuzin to control herbicide-resistant waterhemp.

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Apr 17 | Closing Market Report

- Mike Zuzolo, GlobalCommResearch.com
- Eric Snodgrass, NutrienAgSolutions.com

On the April 17, 2026, edition of the Closing Market Report, host Todd Gleason covers agricultural markets and regional weather forecasts. Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard provides a severe weather update, warning that thunderstorms with potential 70 mph winds and isolated tornadoes are expected to move through central Illinois between 8:00 PM and midnight. In the market analysis segment, Mike Zuzolo notes that the upcoming Cattle on Feed report carries added significance due to falling energy prices and high retail ground beef costs, which threaten to dampen consumer demand during the summer grilling season. Zuzolo also suggests that grain markets are building a base, supported by weather risks, a weakened dollar, and recent geopolitical developments. Finally, meteorologist Eric Snodgrass explains that an expanding Bermuda High and a developing El Niño are driving the Midwest's recent wave of severe storms and anomalous precipitation. Looking ahead, he notes that while summer weather models remain mixed, historical analogs for strong El Niño years do not automatically point to disastrous crop yields in the Midwest.

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Apr 16 | Closing Market Report

- Matt Bennett, AgMarket.net
- WILLAg News | SAF Market Development & Year-Round E15
- Using Metribuzin to Manage Group 15 Resistant Waterhemp

- Mike Tannura, Tstorm.net

The April 16, 2026, broadcast of the Closing Market Report covers updates on agricultural markets, biofuels, weed management, and national weather impacts. Market analyst Matt Bennett explains that corn and soybean markets are consolidating as wet and cold weather temporarily pauses planting across the Midwest, warning that high energy and fertilizer costs pose long-term profitability risks for growers. In policy news, industry leaders are advocating for federal support to expand the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) market, while lawmakers simultaneously push for year-round E15 to combat inflation and assist farmers facing negative margins. On the agronomy front, weed scientist Aaron Hager advises that with waterhemp populations in Illinois showing resistance to group 15 herbicides, farmers should consider utilizing metribuzin, an older asymmetrical triazine that remains effective against the weed. Finally, meteorologist Mike Tannura details severe, ongoing drought conditions and an impending freeze threatening winter wheat in the western plains and southern United States, a situation that contrasts sharply with record wet conditions delaying fieldwork in northern states like Michigan.

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Apr 15 | Closing Market Report

- Greg Johnson, TGM Total Grain Marketing
- How Delayed Fertilizer Shipments Threaten 2027 Yields
- Drew Lerner, World Weather Inc

The April 15, 2026, commodity markets closed with marginal gains in corn, soybeans, and wheat futures amidst widespread U.S. planting delays. Frequent precipitation across the Midwest has stalled fieldwork, though regions such as southern Illinois have advanced, planting up to half of their soybean crop. Market behavior remains subdued; producers are deferring new crop sales due to stagnant mid-range prices, relying heavily on domestic crush capacity while waiting for necessary improvements in global export and domestic livestock demand.

Simultaneously, severe logistical bottlenecks in the Persian Gulf threaten the global fertilizer supply chain following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The region, responsible for 18% of global fertilizer exports, currently holds over 40 laden vessels unable to exit. This blockage has triggered an immediate spike in nitrogen and phosphate prices and forced major global producers, including Morocco, China, and Russia, to limit their own exports to protect domestic markets. The resulting scarcity is expected to constrain global agricultural yields through the 2027 harvest.

Global weather conditions further complicate the agricultural production outlook. In the U.S., the Hard Red Winter Wheat crop in the High Plains faces detrimental impacts from persistent drought and extreme temperature volatility, including impending freezes, while the Corn Belt remains oversaturated by ongoing storms. Conversely, favorable spring conditions are reported across Europe and the Black Sea regions. In Asia, India's winter harvest benefits from dry weather, with the upcoming monsoon expected to start strong despite a developing El Niño, while China's rapeseed crop faces severe quality degradation from excessive moisture.

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Apr 14 | Closing Market Report

- Naomi Blohm, TotalFarmMarketing.com
- The Changing Climate of Western Water Rights
- Don Day, DayWeather.com

The April 14, 2026, closing market report details immediate commodity market pressures, long-term hydrological challenges, and polarized domestic weather patterns.

In the agricultural markets segment, Naomi Blohm reports that U.S. planting progress is slightly ahead of the five-year average, with corn at 5% and soybeans at 6%. Downward pressure on domestic grain prices is currently driven by increased Brazilian crop estimates from CONAB, placing corn at 139.57 million metric tons and soybeans at 179.15 million metric tons. This is compounded by a sharp $7 to $7.50 drop in crude oil prices tied to anticipated U.S.-Iran diplomatic talks, which reduced geopolitical risk premiums. Additionally, high fertilizer costs may incentivize a shift from corn to soybean acreage among U.S. producers.

Addressing western water rights, Eric Hunt highlights the precarious state of the Ogallala Aquifer, the primary irrigation source for the High Plains. While central Nebraska saw some moisture relief in 2024, western and southern regions continue to face strict water allocation limits due to severe groundwater declines. The situation is acute in Kansas and Texas, where aquifer depletion could force a transition away from irrigated commodity crops within a decade. Hunt notes that a quarter-century of western drought, exacerbated by rising baseline temperatures, will increasingly define agricultural viability and regional water politics.

Meteorologist Don Day confirms a stagnant weather pattern heavily favoring the eastern half of the United States. A persistent moisture pipeline is expected to deliver one to three inches of rain from Texas through the eastern corn belt over the next week, sustaining moisture in already saturated areas. Conversely, the western plains, particularly the Dakotas and western Nebraska, remain unseasonably dry. Day notes that the primary wet season for the High Plains typically arrives in late May and June, suggesting an ongoing El Niño pattern may eventually deliver necessary precipitation to currently parched western regions.

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Apr 13 | Closing Market Report

- Curt Kimmel, AgMarket.net
- Risk Premium & N Supply Chain Issues
- Mark Russo, EverStream.ai

The April 13, 2026, closing market report highlighted the impact of international geopolitical tensions on agricultural commodities. Analysts noted that recent blockades involving the United States and Iran injected volatility and risk premiums into the markets, initially pushing corn and wheat prices higher while temporarily weakening soybeans. Given these built-in risk premiums, market experts recommend that producers begin executing their old and new crop marketing strategies, aiming to price at least twenty percent of their grain to capitalize on the current environment.

Domestic planting progress is advancing at a strong pace, particularly in the central and southern Midwest, with expectations of average or slightly above-average planting progress overall. However, the global conflict has raised significant long-term concerns regarding nitrogen and urea supply chains. While the vast majority of fertilizer for the current spring season was priced before the conflict escalated, analysts warn that sustained high fertilizer prices will likely limit fall applications and significantly impact acreage and crop rotation decisions for the 2027 growing season.

Weather patterns continue to present varying challenges across key agricultural regions. The western hard red winter wheat belt continues to suffer from a lack of meaningful rainfall, pushing crop conditions closer to dire levels. In the broader Midwest, the southern belt is experiencing drier conditions conducive to rapid planting, while central and northern areas remain slightly wetter. Internationally, incoming rains in Argentina are expected to slow the corn and soybean harvests, whereas the Safrinha crop areas in southern Brazil are entering a drier pattern that will soon require moisture to maintain adequate soil conditions.

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Apr 09 | Closing Market Report

- Matt Bennett, AgMarket.net
- Resistant Waterhemp, maybe Metribuzin
- Mike Tannura, Tstorm.net

The April 9, 2026 closing market report covers agricultural commodity markets, weed control strategies, and Midwestern weather forecasts. Analyst Matt Bennett characterized the day's USDA WASDE report as largely uneventful, noting ample global corn supplies and continuing competitive pressure from South American soybean exports. University of Illinois weed scientist Aaron Hager then detailed the increasing resistance of waterhemp to Group 15 and PPO-inhibiting herbicides across the state, advising producers to consider metribuzin as a viable and cost-effective alternative for residual control. Finally, meteorologist Mike Tannura highlighted severe drought conditions currently impacting over half of the U.S. hard red winter wheat crop. He forecast upcoming rain systems that will primarily benefit eastern, lower-elevation areas of the Plains while leaving western regions dry, alongside additional precipitation expected to move into the Corn Belt during the planting season.

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