Closing Market Report

The September 10, 2026 edition of the Closing Market Report provides a comprehensive overview of commodity markets, fall fertilizer strategies, and agricultural weather. Matt Bennett of AgMarket.net attributes recent market gains to confirmed Chinese purchases and tight global soybean stocks, advising producers to manage risk through hedging rather than relying on continued rallies. John Jones, a University of Illinois soil scientist, outlines fall fertilizer recommendations, stressing the economic value of targeted grid or zone soil testing for phosphorus and potassium to avoid unnecessary applications. He also emphasizes utilizing the Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator to optimize anhydrous ammonia rates. Lastly, Mike...

I’m Todd Gleason for University of Illinois Extension with a history of labor day in the United States. It’s adapted from a story found on the United States Embassy to Sweden’s website.

Eleven-year-old Peter McGuire sold papers on the street in New York City. He shined shoes and cleaned stores and later ran errands. It was 1863 and his father, a poor Irish immigrant, had just enlisted to fight in the Civil War. Peter had to help support his mother and six brothers and sisters.

Many immigrants settled in New York City in the ni...

The July 31, 2026, episode of the Closing Market Report features host Todd Gleason speaking with market analyst Mike Zuzolo and meteorologist Eric Snodgrass. Zuzolo outlines how current geopolitical tensions, including tariffs, sanctions, and expanding global conflicts, are driving market volatility and influencing asset rotation out of equities and into commodities, despite high bond yields. He also notes poor crop conditions in Europe and suggests upcoming USDA reports could lower U.S. corn yield expectations, though demand remains a critical unknown. Snodgrass provides a weather update, noting that intense heat has severely stressed crops in the Western Corn Belt—causing potentially si...

The July 28, 2026, special edition of the Closing Market Report features an economic outlook for Midwestern row crop farmers presented by University of Illinois agricultural economist Gary Schnitkey. Schnitkey highlights a sustained cost-price squeeze resulting from commodity prices returning to long-run plateaus while input costs remain elevated following their 2022 peaks. This dynamic is projected to cause negative per-acre returns for the 2026 crop year, though ad hoc government payments continue to buffer overall financial losses. Looking ahead to 2027, Schnitkey warns that the ongoing conflict in Iran will likely exacerbate these financial pressures by driving up critical input costs, particularly for diesel...