TOP HEADLINES
Louisiana Patient’s Death From Bird Flu Is the First in US
- Victim was over 65 and had underlying medical conditions
- US has 66 confirmed human cases since outbreak began, CDC says
A patient in Louisiana who tested positive for bird flu has died, marking the first US fatality linked to the respiratory virus.
The patient was over 65 and had underlying medical conditions, according to a statement from the Louisiana Department of Health. No additional cases have been identified and there’s no evidence of human-to-human transmission, it said.
The patient contracted H5N1 after exposure to a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds, the state agency said. The resident was hospitalized in December with the first severe human case of avian influenza in the US.
Health officials have been on high alert as the H5N1 strain of the virus has spread throughout US poultry and dairy farms. While dozens of people have been infected, there’s no sign so far that the virus is spreading among people.
Most human bird flu infections have occurred in farm workers exposed to infected animals, causing mainly mild symptoms. There have been 66 confirmed human cases in the US so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
FUTURES & WEATHER
Wheat prices overnight are down 1 1/2 in SRW, up 3/4 in HRW, up 3/4 in HRS; Corn is down 2 1/2; Soybeans down 8 1/2; Soymeal down $5.00; Soyoil up 0.05.
For the week so far wheat prices are up 9 3/4 in SRW, up 15 in HRW, up 15 1/4 in HRS; Corn is up 4 1/2; Soybeans down 2 1/2; Soymeal down $6.30; Soyoil up 0.45.
For the month to date wheat prices are down 12 1/2 in SRW, down 5 1/4 in HRW, down 2 3/4 in HRS; Corn is down 3 1/4; Soybeans down 21 1/4; Soymeal down $14.60; Soyoil up 0.02.
Chinese Ag futures (MAY 25) Soybeans down 34 yuan; Soymeal down 13; Soyoil down 10; Palm oil up 20; Corn up 1 — Malaysian Palm is up 35.
Malaysian palm oil prices overnight were up 35 ringgit (+0.81%) at 4373.
There were changes in registrations (-11 Corn, -22 Soybeans, -45 Soyoil, -23 Soymeal). Registration total: 20 SRW Wheat contracts; 72 Oats; 6 Corn; 448 Soybeans; 1,034 Soyoil; 1,468 Soymeal; 105 HRW Wheat.
Preliminary changes in futures Open Interest as of January 6 were: SRW Wheat down 3,994 contracts, HRW Wheat down 844, Corn up 12,715, Soybeans up 520, Soymeal down 564, Soyoil down 1,367.
Brazil: Rio Grande do Sul and Parana: Mostly dry through Wednesday. Isolated showers north Thursday-Friday. Temperatures near normal through Friday. Mato Grosso, MGDS and southern Goias: Scattered showers through Friday. Temperatures near normal through Friday.
Argentina: Cordoba, Santa Fe, Northern Buenos Aires: Spotty showers through Friday. Temperatures near to above normal Tuesday-Friday. La Pampa, Southern Buenos Aires: Spotty showers through Friday. Temperatures near to above normal Tuesday-Friday.
Northern Plains: Isolated showers through Friday. Temperatures below to well below normal Tuesday, near to above normal Wednesday-Friday. Outlook: Isolated showers Saturday-Wednesday. Temperatures near to above normal Saturday-Sunday, near normal Monday-Wednesday.
Central/Southern Plains: Scattered snow west Tuesday. Mostly dry Wednesday. Scattered showers Thursday-Friday. Temperatures below to well below normal through Wednesday, near to below normal Thursday-Friday. Outlook: Isolated showers Saturday-Tuesday. Scattered showers south Wednesday. Temperatures near to below normal Saturday-Wednesday.
Midwest: West: Mostly dry through Wednesday. Isolated to scattered showers Thursday-Friday, mostly south. Temperatures below to well below normal through Wednesday, above normal north and below normal south Thursday-Friday. East: Lake-effect snow Tuesday-Wednesday. Mostly dry Thursday. Scattered snow Friday. Temperatures below to well below normal through Friday. Outlook: Isolated to scattered showers Saturday-Wednesday. Temperatures near to above normal north and near to below normal south Saturday-Monday, near to below normal Tuesday-Wednesday.
The player sheet for Jan. 6 had funds: net buyers of 5,000 contracts of SRW wheat, buyers of 10,000 corn, buyers of 500 soybeans, sellers of 5,000 soymeal, and buyers of 3,500 soyoil.
TENDERS
- CORN TENDER: Algerian state agency ONAB issued an international tender to purchase up to 240,000 metric tons of animal-feed corn from Argentina or Brazil.
- RICE IMPORTS: Indonesia’s state food procurement company Bulog has more than doubled its domestic rice procurement target for this year to 3 million metric tons from 1.27 million tons in 2024, Bulog data showed.
PENDING TENDERS
- BARLEY TENDER: Jordan’s state grains buyer has issued an international tender to purchase up to 120,000 metric tons of animal feed barley
- RICE TENDER: Bangladesh’s state grains buyer issued an international tender to purchase 50,000 metric tons of rice
- RICE TENDER: Bangladesh’s state grains buyer issued another international tender to purchase 50,000 metric tons of rice.
- WHEAT TENDER: The Taiwan Flour Millers’ Association issued an international tender to purchase an estimated 114,650 metric tons of grade 1 milling wheat to be sourced from the United States.
TODAY
US Inspected 847k Tons of Corn for Export, 1.285m of Soybeans
In week ending Jan. 2, according to the USDA’s weekly inspections report.
- Soybeans: 1,285k tons vs 1,643k the previous wk, 1,041k a yr ago
- Wheat: 412k tons vs 339k the previous wk, 502k a yr ago
- Corn: 847k tons vs 908k the previous wk, 1,092k a yr ago
US Plains wheat ratings decline in Kansas and Oklahoma, USDA says
Condition ratings for winter wheat declined during December in Kansas, the top U.S. winter wheat producer, even as dry conditions subsided in parts of the state, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday.
The United States is the world’s No. 5 wheat exporter.
The USDA issued its last national winter wheat ratings of the season on Nov. 25, reporting 55% of the U.S. crop in good-to-excellent condition, the highest for that time of year in six years. Over the winter, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service releases monthly reports for select states. The government resumes weekly U.S. crop progress reports in April.
The USDA rated 47% of the Kansas winter wheat crop in good-to-excellent condition, as of Jan. 5, down from 55% in late November. Wheat ratings also declined during December in Nebraska, Oklahoma and South Dakota, but improved in Montana and Colorado.
About 25% of the winter wheat crop nationally was in an area experiencing drought, as of Dec. 31, the USDA said last week, down from 27% the previous week and 32% a year earlier.
Farmers in the Plains states grow hard red winter wheat, the largest U.S. wheat class, which is milled into flour for bread.
Ratings declined in Illinois and Ohio, where farmers grow soft red winter wheat used to make cookies and snack foods. The USDA rated 69% of the Illinois crop as good-to-excellent by Jan. 5, down from 80% in late November.
La Niña Conditions Present in Tropical Pacific, Philippines Says
La Niña conditions are present in the Tropical Pacific and will continue until at least the “JFM 2025 season” as suggested by several climate models, according to the Philippines’ weather agency.
- There’s a higher chance of above-normal rainfall in the January–February-March 2025 season, which may cause flooding and landslides, the bureau said in a statement published on Jan. 6
- There will also be an increased chance of tropical cyclone activity
- NOTE: The US Climate Prediction Center is scheduled to publish its next ENSO outlook on Jan. 9
- In a Dec. 12 update, the agency placed a 59% chance on La Niña conditions emerging by January
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