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USDA to release key reports during government shutdown

The USDA says it will be releasing some reports this month amid the government shutdown, and a market analyst says there are still questions about the data USDA provides.

Sam Hudson with Cornbelt Marketing says he’s watching U.S. corn and soybean yield estimates in the November supply and demand report.

“I’m not sure if we’re getting the October report in November or if this is actual November data where they’ve actually gone out and collected some information here,” he says. “I would tend to believe that, you know, there’s probably not a lot of room for adjustment on the soybean yield either way. For corn, I would maybe, you know, argue a little bit of a different path there that I still think it’s possible you could be, you know, around the trendline of 180 to 181 bushels/acre.”

He says the supply demand report could be problematic for the soybean market.

“The carryout is still going to look very similar to how it did when we went into all of this. Just because we have these trade agreements or discussions with China, we have to recognize the USDA wasn’t factoring in all of that zero to begin with. That could leave the trade a little bit disappointed.”

The November supply and demand report is scheduled to be released on November 14, along with USDA’s crop production report.

USDA says the National Ag Statistics Service will also release two milk production reports, one that was scheduled for October and another scheduled to be released on November 21. USDA will also release its Cattle on Feed Report on November 21.