Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone. This week is a big one for central banks. Japan, Switzerland, Australia, and England will all update interest rates. The one to watch is Japan. If Japan raises rates, it will be the first time in 17 years and signal the end of an era. The history books will debate the success of zero-interest rate policies.
The corn bulls are feeling much better as the recent bounce is gaining momentum due to weather concerns in South America and whispers of corn planting intentions losing out to soybeans and cotton. Some groups are still suggesting acres could be 93 million or more. The US corn balance sheet will remain heavy for the calendar year 2024 without a weather event.
Sugar, copper, and soybeans are the key commodity markets to watch this week. Copper broke out on a chart with rumors of increased state buying from China. Copper has a tight supply and demand situation for the foreseeable future; any unexpected demand could push prices higher quickly.
Sugar is on notice following a strong weekly chart close and weather risks Easy Newz has flagged. The soybean supply situation is bearish once the USA makes the crop, but traders may be premature in building such large shorts. Keep a close eye on this.
Cease-fire talks between Israel and Gaza are gaining traction but could still take weeks to formalize. This is not bearish crude as long as OPEC can keep compliance on track with current cuts. It’s important to remember that there have not been any Middle Eastern production disruptions due to the Red Sea issues or the war in Gaza.
Easy Newz will update Safriña corn production numbers and South America's overall weather outlook this week. We will repeatedly state that looking at maps that display “extreme” colors is not predictive or representative of the overall production situation. Social media amplifies the bad, not the good.
Opinions are those of Easy Newz. Not meant as trading or financial advice.

Hi guys I am conducting a research on different effects of various fertilizers on onions, however our onions have not been growing. Its been 2 weeks, we used red onion bulbs i dont know whats wrong with it.

I have a 5 acre plot I'd like to apply beneficial nematodes to. Any ideas on how to apply? Can I use a boom sprayer attached to my atv? I know I will need to remove the filter, but any ideas on PSI settings? Will the application even work based on method or will i kill the nematodes before they have a chance to work? (I'm in Central Florida)

FYI - I have zero experience with both nematodes and boom sprayers, so please be kind lol. But there has to be an easier way to apply nematodes to a large area without using a hose and the hose attachments. I am a new land owner of 25 acres that i want to start developing and am trying to learn how to best manage pests and livestock, along with my pets and family all living together.

Please give me an agruculture business idea that I can grow in a country which is:

• Dry not very humid
• 4 Seasons. Winter is -40C and summer is +25. June-Aug is summer.
• Usually windy.

I am looking to do something with short harvesting season. Sorry not experienced guy here. Thanks in advance.

What would you do to amend this soil for hay pasture?

Very interested in a career that is outside that also involves research. From most to least research, in what I am familiar with, I'm considering becoming a Biological Science Tech, Range Tech, or Forestry Tech.

In other words I'm most interested in Bio Sci Tech. I can get in easily at the GS3 level as an Aid. But...two problems. There's not a whole lot of GS3 positions, and not a whole lot of GS4 positions. But there is a bunch of your typical GS5-7 for Bio Sci Techs. Also, if I do get the GS3 position that's available, it's only 3 months and I need 6 to a year to go up to GS4.

Therefore, I'm considering becoming a Range Aid (which is also scarce) or Forest Aid, which is not at allllll scarce. It's like...infesting all of my job searches. I did see on the OPM/BLM website that like a lot of Foresters become Range Techs and a lot of Range Techs become Bio Sci Techs, but not a lot of Forest Techs become Bio Sci Techs. I'm also worried about doing one thing, and after a year, not being able to still go up a grade scale for another position.

Yes, the qualifications are listed...technically. Each grade scale says you can qualify for it if you performed specialized duties of the previous grade scale. While there is obviously some cross over, I'm not clear on if the specialized experienced of a Forest Aid or Range Aid will allow me to become a Bio Sci Tech.

I coullldddd go back to school and get a bio degree...but lord forbid.

EDIT: This seems even less likely but could becoming a Park Ranger even transfer into Bio Sci? Just because you do need to familiarize yourself with plants and animals in the area and protect their environment...but I'm not sure any technical monitoring is done.

The Black Sea Brief (March 13, 2024)

All units are metric tonne. UA refers to Ukraine, RF to the Russian Federation.

Prices & Trade Flows:

• RF wheat dropped below the 200 $/t level and now trade slightly low. Recent tenders took place in Algeria (900k to be shipped in June, at 228 $/t CIF) and Jordan (60k for July, at 236 $/t), both calculated to 190-195 $/t at FOB Black Sea (Russia). Egypt GASC canceled the last tender (March 7) due to unexpectedly high offers (225 $/t CIF Egypt as minimum quoted by Bulgaria).
• Additional grain quota volumes have been allocated in RF, 2.5 MMT as planned. It may allow to export of even more than the 50-51 MMT forecasted as of today (equal to 16-18 MMT left until June 30).
• RF barley follows the wheat trend setting in the range of 170-175 $/t FOB. Another tender in Jordan just confirmed this level (60k for May shipment). EU barley is under pressure due to competitively cheap imported wheat and corn in the domestic markets that could limit any price rebound.

Fundamental Updates:

• Some support may come from lower production forecasts of wheat and barley in North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia tend to lose more) due to dry conditions and India’s key production areas negatively affected last week.
• EU winter wheat and barley were assessed as not too positive (about 70% are in good/excellent condition compared to 90%+ in 2023).
• Huge underestimation of the RF barley and corn export in 23/24 by USDA: The March report again shows 5.8 and 5.3 MMT, respectively, compared to 7.5 and 6.6 MMT expected by local experts.

What to Watch:

• Corn price trend amid UA's higher export pace. The corn market is about to decline even further unless a new cut of Brazilian crop estimates or demand will provide an essential support.
• Chinese demand activity: a few cancellations of US wheat (both HRW and SRW) put additional pressure on the market. It is much. cheaper to source in the Black Sea.
• Sowing campaign of spring crops in RF, UA and EU - potential area expansion and conditions (firstly, soil moisture).
• Turkey and Egypt demand for wheat and corn amid steep devaluations. Commodity imports can struggle in these environments.

Ilya has over a decade of experience focused on grain and livestock markets in the Black Sea. Not meant as trading or financial advice.

Hey guys, i have been exporting grapes for a while. Mostly I export them from Turkey and Egypt. Main varieties are Superior and Sultana. My grapes are being stored in a container for like 6-8 days if it’s more than that I will face with problems. But Yesterday I have seen this, please have a look at this, some fruits are came off from the vine. And the fruit which contained red circle on top has also slit. They came from South Africa, which means they were in a container for like 3-4 weeks. Why is that so durable Because of Seed Growing Cold storing Please let’s discuss this, need help :) Thanks.

Hey there, people of Reddit. I’d like to pursue a career in agriculture (in what aspect, I’m still deciding. As long as I’m outside lol) currently, working at the Post office as a mail carrier. I was wondering if working there would open doors for me to other federal jobs in agriculture? College is an option of course, but id like to look at other options to get my foot in the door. Thanks in advance

Weekly ARG Update for March 12, 2024: Fundamentals, Economics, & What to Watch.

Fundamentals:

-The latest rains sustain the recovery of the soybean and corn production. Both Grain Exchanges in Argentina (Rosario and Buenos Aires) maintain their forecast without changes: soybean between 49.5 and 52.5 MMT and corn between 56.5 and 57 MMT.

-Digital platform SIOGranos shows increasing sales of soybean in the last two weeks by the farmers. The lineup of soybean meal cargos indicates that March could end with more than 1.6 MMT exported, compatible with 2 MMT of soybean crushed. But this is a floor.

-Personal sources indicate that the soybean crushing in March could total 2.45 MMT.

Ag-Economic Environment

-The Argentine Peso rebounded against the dollar, and the export dollar blend (80% official / 20% financial) is dropping from AR$920 on February 2nd, to AR$879 on March 8th.

-The domestic price of the soybean fell from AR$280K in December to AR$250K in March. In the same period, the inflation rate accumulated 50 percentage points.

-Farmers talk about bankruptcy in their operations due to the lack of profitability, but there is no new Peso devaluation on the horizon. The Government has said that they would prefer the lift of the dollar market restriction, but this has no certain date.

What to Watch:

1. Continue monitoring the evolution of the internal prices of the grains, mostly corn and soybean.

2. Also, the exchange rate, especially about the weakness of the dollar against the Peso. The grain value chain could lose competitiveness in a strong Peso scenario.

Both of the above prior could influence the farmers’ planting decisions over the Winter crops (wheat and barley).

3. In the political arena, if the Government achieves an agreement with the Provinces’ governors to approve the mega bill they sent at the start of the mandate, it would be a key success to gain governability.

Javier is an agronomist and former Undersecretary of agriculture in Argentina. He consults for the multi-national and advises key industry organizations. Not trading or financial advice.

Hi guys, college student here. I have a reasonably good GPA and I've been looking at Law school. I'm not super interested in criminal or tax law, are there opportunities in Agricultural Law? I know Texas A&M offers an LLM in Ag Law, but I'm not sure how useful that'd be vs general buisness or corporate law.

r/Agriculture, r/sustainable, r/internships

Hi all,

I'm a third-year BSc Agriculture student with a deep passion for sustainable farming and agricultural technologies. Due to financial challenges, I’m actively seeking a paid internship that can help me support my studies while allowing me to contribute and grow in these fields.

I’m eager to apply my knowledge, learn on the job, and improve my skills. Any leads, advice, or opportunities would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for your support,

Feel free to DM.

I have posted this in career guidance sub Reddit’s but nobody seems to understand how secluded grain elevators are. They also don’t understand how people in Ag communities revolve around Ag and don’t commute to a big city for work.

How to bring up commute in an interview?

So for some context, I am in Agriculture and fresh out of college. I haven’t had much luck with jobs in my area for the past few months because a large Ag company in our area went out of business so the market has been over saturated with people with more experience than me.

Anyway, I am in the final stages of an interview with a large grain elevator. The kicker; it’s 60 miles from my residence. BUT, there is not a house within 30 miles of the location with most actual towns being 45+ miles in each direction. So everyone who works there has to commute.

My questions is, Would a company that is this secluded have a way of assisting with the commute? I know this is asking alot, but wouldn’t they have to make the wages more or offer a company truck to even hire anybody? I would be the assistant manager of the location if I secured the position.

The major question is how do I even bring this up in an interview? This is one of the larger companies in the grain sector.

Edit for the aggies*** from my understanding elevators can have some wild hours sometimes. How does this factor into the long ass commute and a salaried position? Just looking for advice since not many people are familiar with this type of job.

I have a school activity which is a interview on Extension workers. All is going well UNTIL the people I've contacted have not replied or answered my google form :') (it's a simple google form with questionnaires) So I have decided to come here and ask for help. Any response will be enough. I just really need someone who has experience in farming communities related.

Here's the Google form link if you'd like to answer. It will mean a lot to me. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdUXMzrCOqqKuyflVLd-cxtP5ZW3H553ErmW8Kdxi2eXwgQyg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Hey guys. Recently,my watermelon sprouts are dying like their juice had been sucked out. Can you help me please.What should I do.

Hi, does anyone have experience direct marketing their farm products? I’m considering marketing meat and eggs. I would appreciate any advise/experiences. TIA