Well we just got back from vacation in “Sunny Florida”,  except we didn’t see the sun all week as it rained most every day while we were there.  Wednesday and Thursday were complete washouts as 3 to 5 inches fell from that nasty low pressure that later dumped 20 to over 30 inches of rain on the Baton Rouge and New Orleans area.  Just awful as Folks were stranded, houses flooded,  highways closed including I-10,  so we traveled up I-49 to Jackson and hit I-20 coming home on Saturday, and it rained most all the way home.  I saw awesome fields of corn, soybeans, cotton and sugar cane(some Rice too) on the trip through Louisiana, MS,  and Alabama, especially in the MS Delta.  Gosh,  Soybeans were waist high on me and so thick you can’t walk through them,  really pretty crops!

They are in the middle of corn harvest there too, but the rain has delayed that for now.  Meanwhile here in Cooke County the corn harvest is mid-way and reports of yields of up to 130 bu/ac is great news.  Its been a good year for corn and milo and yields should be good on both crops.  Yield reports on milo that has been harvested is from 3000 to 6000 lbs/ac so far, and current cash price is at $5.20/cwt.  Some farmers were waiting on fields to mature and dry below the moisture threshold so they can harvest it, and now dealing with wet fields and humidity, with more rain in the forecast this week.  Parts of the county received a good rain last Friday with reports from 1-4 inches depending on where you’re located.  There were some Soybeans harvested last week but no report on yield totals yet.

There were quite a few beans planted late in wheat stubble, so will have to see how that turns out.  Farmers & Ranchers are busy plowing fields and getting them ready to plant wheat & oats in the next month or so.  Most everyone has finished baling hay for the most part, but who knows, folks may get another cutting this fall if it keeps raining and conditions are right.    There are some producers who still have some Yearlings on grass pastures as it has been a great year for the stocker operators as far as the weather and forage is concerned,  but not the cattle markets, although they are coming back a little and hopefully will stabilize soon.    The cow calf sector is looking good and calves are gaining and healthy on their, fat and happy Mama’s.

  Last Week’s Markets(8-8 to 8-12)—-Sept 16 Corn was down two cents for the week closing at $3.22.   Dec 16 corn closed at $3.33.    Sept 16 wheat was up from 4 to 6 cents on the week and settled at $4.22 on the Chicago board and $4.16 on the KC board.  Aug 16 Soybeans were down 19 cents on the week at $10.03.  Sept 16 Beans settled at $9.99.   Aug 16 live cattle were down slightly on the week settling at $116 and Oct 16 Lives settled at $114.5   Aug 16 Feeders were down 57 cents on the week settling around $149, with the Sept 16 feeder’s settling at $147.5    In the local markets six weight Feeder Steers were steady and Heifers were up to $3 higher with a load of 627 lb Steers bringing $1.59 and a load of 611 lb Heifers bringing $1.54.  Steer and Heifer calves limited and not well tested, but a load of 614 lb steers brought $1.57/lb and a load of 629 lb heifers brought $147/lb.   Slaughter cows brought around 79 cents a pound and bulls brought from 95 cents to a $1.  No report on slaughter and beef production estimates.

Marty Morgan, Ag Agent