Many years ago, while I still in the DTN Newsroom, I wrote a weekly On the Market column about what I called the Wider River Theory. This was back when [...]

This past week, I had the opportunity to work with my long-time friend Myra Saefong of MarkeWatch again. We had a lengthy conversation via email spanning many days, as each [...]

As you know, I spent the latter part of last week traveling to and from the Quad Cities area. I had been invited to speak at the Rock Island County [...]

Toward the end of January, I gave a market talk at the annual meeting of a local soybean processing company in Omaha. I filled the hour with talk of the [...]

Friday night into early Saturday morning, as the final hours of the Dog Days of Winter, also known as February, were set to wind down, the US president reportedly cried [...]

I was reminded by my friend Jesse Allen, host of the Agriculture of America talk show, that this week brings the 2026 edition of Commodity Classic, once again being held [...]

This is post number 20,000 to our website. When DTN and I parted ways back in June 2018, and Ben and I made the decision to start our own company, [...]

As I mentioned in Monday’s (February 2, 2026) Morning Commentary, the turn of the calendar page to February marks the beginning of the Dog Days of Winter in North America, [...]

This Weekly Column will be different than most. There won’t be any little puns, or pop culture references, or song lyrics. There is time for having some fun with commentary, [...]

The new year got rolling with a January 3 invasion of Venezuela by the United States. The reasons for the military action have been debated endlessly since, but as I’ve [...]

How is everyone doing with their New Year’s resolutions? If one of yours is the popular “lose weight”, and it includes the idea you will eat more salads and drink [...]

If I had to pick one word to describe 2025, as far as the commodity complex goes, it would be “historic”. In years past, the Softs sector stole the spotlight [...]

As we were driving back from Texas the Saturday after Newtonmas, my phone buzzed with a message from my son Ben. He had sent me an AP News story[i], “A [...]

Somehow, the end of another year is coming up fast in the windshield. Where 2025 went, I have no idea, but it is largely behind us now. Next week, I’ll [...]

Maybe it’s the time of year that has led to my ongoing reflection of markets, analysis, and life in general. Does it have something to do with the new year [...]

"Just heard Mica died from a heart attack." That was the message my older brother sent out late Monday night. Mica Schnoeblen was a prominent figure back in my hometown [...]

I had a long conversation with my friend in the brokerage industry last week. As we went through the commodity complex market by market, I found myself saying, “I don’t [...]

As I sit down to write this week’s Column, it is Sunday, November 30, the last day of meteorological fall. This tells us, unequivocally, winter is coming. Mondays are what [...]

My friend in the cattle industry called Monday afternoon to give me more information about the situation between the US administration and US beef packers, most notably Tyson. The stage [...]

When next week comes to an end (Sunday, November 30), the curtain will come down on the fall season. Fall, or autumn, means something different to most everyone. To some, [...]

I was recently asked if I would use some form of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to write my commentary and/or analysis. The question came during a discussion of the various pieces [...]

Back in the day when I worked in the newsroom, part of my job was to visit with Chicago floor reporter Gary Wilhelmi. Gary had been around markets for decades [...]

It was just after midnight (CT), Monday November 2, 2015, when my wife woke me and broke the news, the Kansas City Royals had just won the World Series. I [...]

The chess player has been playing the game for about 40 years. And while he is far from being a Grand Master, he believes himself to be an adequate player, [...]

It was October 1987. I had just graduated from Fort Hays State University[i] (Hays, Kansas) the May prior with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. At the time, [...]