The September 8, 2026, edition of the Closing Market Report, hosted by Todd Gleason, provides a comprehensive overview of commodity trade, agricultural policy, and regional weather. Following the settlement numbers, Naomi Blohm of TotalFarmMarketing.com analyzes quiet post-holiday trade action in corn and soybeans, strong overnight gains in wheat driven by Black Sea developments, and market positioning ahead of the USDA's upcoming WASDE report. The program then examines federal agricultural policy, detailing producer dissatisfaction over the Trump administration's 90-day tariff suspension on South American beef imports, featuring commentary from Nebraska cattle rancher John O'Dea on producer margins, and reviewing executive orders targeting meatpacker concentration. University of Minnesota agricultural economist Ed Usset follows with historical context on August grain rallies, comparing current market movements to previous years—such as 2003, 2011, and 2022—while cautioning against expectations of runaway harvest rallies. Finally, meteorologist Don Day of DayWeather outlines the regional forecast, highlighting modest temperature relief and scattered shower activity extending into the Corn Belt and southern Plains fueled by subtropical moisture from the Pacific.01:59 Ag Markets with Naomi Blohm, TotalFarmMarketing.com08:25 Beef Imports, Meatpackers, Ranchers, and the Oval Office11:13 Commodity Market Discussion with Ed Usset20:36 Ag Weather with Don Day, DayWeather.com ★ Support this podcast ★

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 nineteenth century. They found that living conditions were not as wonderful as they had dreamed. Often there were six families crowded into a house made for one family. Thousands of children had to go to work. Working conditions were even worse. Immigrant men, women and children worked in factories for ten to twelve hours a day, stopping only for a short time to eat. They came to work even if they were tired or sick because if they didn't, they might be fired. Thousands of people were waiting to take their places.When Peter was 17, he began an apprenticeship in a piano shop. This job was better than his others, for he was learning a trade, but he still worked long hours with low pay. At night he went to meetings and classes in economics and social issues of the day. One of the main issues of concern pertained to labor conditions. Workers were tired of long hours, low pay and uncertain jobs. They spoke of organizing themselves into a union of laborers to improve their working conditions. In the spring of 1872, Peter McGuire and 100,000 workers went on strike and marched through the streets, demanding a decrease in the long working day.This event convinced Peter that an organized labor movement was important for the future of workers' rights. He spent the next year speaking to crowds of workers and unemployed people, lobbying the city government for jobs and relief money. It was not an easy road for Peter McGuire. He became known as a "disturber of the public peace." The city government ignored his demands. Peter himself could not find a job in his trade. He began to travel up and down the east coast to speak to laborers about unionizing. In 1881, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and began to organize carpenters there. He organized a convention of carpenters in Chicago, and it was there that a national union of carpenters was founded. He became General Secretary of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.The idea of organizing workers according to their trades spread around the country. Factory workers, dock workers and toolmakers all began to demand and get their rights to an eight-hour workday, a secure job and a future in their trades. Peter McGuire and laborers in other cities planned a holiday for workers on the first Monday in September, halfway between Independence Day and Thanksgiving Day.  On September 5, 1882 the first Labor Day parade was held in New York City. ★ Support this podcast ★

The September 4, 2026, edition of the *Closing Market Report*, hosted by Todd Gleason on Illinois Public Media, reviews commodity market movements, agricultural news, and regional weather patterns heading into the Labor Day weekend. Mike Zuzolo of Global Commodity Analytics discusses softer corn, soybean, and wheat trade amid an accelerating early Midwest harvest, while evaluating upcoming USDA crop production estimates, geopolitical developments in the Black Sea and Middle East, and potential volatility surrounding U.S.-China relations. In agricultural news, Gleason covers the 2026 National Cover Crop Report showing expanded acreage among growers, followed by USDA research entomologist Alex Arp detailing "Novafly"—a new genetic strain engineered to eliminate female embryos and optimize sterile male production for New World screwworm eradication. Concluding the broadcast, Nutrien Ag Solutions meteorologist Eric Snodgrass outlines persistent late-summer heat and drought stress across the Corn Belt and Western United States, sluggish Atlantic hurricane activity linked to El Niño, and irregular rainfall patterns threatening early soybean planting across South America's Center West.00:56 Ag Markets with Mike Zuzolo, Global Commodity Analytics08:38 WILLAg News | Cover Crop Usage Up & a New Way to Control NWS11:34 Ag Weather with Eric Snodgrass, Nutrien Ag Solutions ★ Support this podcast ★

The September 3, 2026, broadcast of the *Closing Market Report*, hosted by Todd Gleason, covers commodity price movements, farm financial projections, federal data initiatives, and severe weather patterns affecting agriculture. Matt Bennett of AgMarket.net analyzes the day's market dynamics, highlighting how grain futures rebounded from early-session lows as speculative buying met profit-taking ahead of the three-day holiday weekend, while noting that late-season heat is rapidly advancing crop drydown without heavily damaging early-planted corn. Looking ahead to 2026 and 2027 budgets, University of Illinois agricultural economist Nick Paulson reports that while higher corn and soybean prices are driving positive projected net returns in Central and Northern Illinois, rising input costs—especially for fertilizer and fuel tied to Middle Eastern geopolitical conflict—continue to keep overall margins below long-term historical averages of $100 per acre. From the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, USDA Under Secretary Scott Hutchins details the agency's four-pillar data modernization initiative aimed at reducing survey burdens on farmers, utilizing satellite and NASA geospatial imagery for yield forecasts, eliminating cross-agency redundancy through AI and advanced analytics, and improving reporting transparency. Concluding the report, meteorologist Mike Tannura of Tstorm Weather warns of historic late-season heat running 8 to 10 degrees above normal across the U.S. Corn Belt, while pointing to an exceptionally strong El Niño pattern that is bringing unseasonable early rains to central Brazil and heavy precipitation to southern South American grain belts.01:50 Ag Markets with Matt Bennett, AgMarket.net07:12 farmodc 2027 Corn and Soybean Returns13:48 USDA Announces Data Modernization Plan16:22 Ag Weather with Mike Tannura, Tstorm Weather ★ Support this podcast ★

The September 2, 2026 edition of Illinois Public Media's Closing Market Report, hosted by Todd Gleason, examines commodity market trends, local environmental policy, and global agricultural weather patterns. Following the opening commodity market settlements, Greg Johnson of Total Grain Marketing analyzes multi-year highs in corn and soybean futures, the psychological dynamics of farmer selling, early harvest expectations driven by late-summer heat, and updated crop budget estimates from the University of Illinois farmdoc team. The broadcast then highlights civic discourse in Champaign County, featuring University of Illinois environmental science student Bruce Beem, who details public testimony regarding proposed hyperscale data centers—specifically emphasizing concerns over long-term site remediation, and inadequate human-centric noise metrics and artificial light disruption along avian migratory corridors. Finally, meteorologist Drew Lerner of World Weather Incorporated delivers a regional and global forecast, evaluating persistent drought conditions across the U.S. hard red winter wheat belt, planting moisture outlooks in central Brazil, and international El Niño impacts spanning Indonesian wildfires and drenching rainfall in the Philippines.01:21 Ag Markets with Greg Johnson, TGM08:28 Data Centers, Civic Engagement, and University Educations14:38 Ag Weather with Drew Lerner, World Weather Inc ★ Support this podcast ★

The September 1, 2026, edition of the Closing Market Report, hosted by Illinois Extension’s Todd Gleason on Illinois Public Media, provides an in-depth review of key regulatory, market, agronomic, and weather developments impacting agriculture. Agricultural economist Scott Irwin discusses the EPA's decision to grant 1.8 billion gallons in small refinery exemptions (SREs) for 2025, explaining how the agency’s supplemental rulemaking to reallocate 100% of those volumes into 2026 and 2027 mandates effectively neutralizes potential demand losses and supports the biodiesel and soy complex. Market analyst Naomi Blohm of Total Farm Marketing reviews the rally in soybean futures above $13 resistance, highlighting strong domestic demand, Chinese export sales, and the market impacts of geopolitical friction in the Black Sea and Middle East. Agricultural economist Nick Paulson explains how surging global sulfur prices—driven by Middle Eastern conflict and petroleum byproduct supply disruptions—are increasing the cost of MAP and DAP phosphate fertilizers ahead of fall applications. Finally, meteorologist Don Day of Day Weather breaks down the persistent, above-average heat across the Corn Belt and evaluates upcoming rainfall chances for early soybean planting in Brazil.01:05 Trump Admin's EPA SRE Announcement a Reallocation05:29 Ag Markets with Naomi Blohm, Total Farm Marketing10:27 Sulfur and Increasing Phosphate Fertilizer Prices20:20 Ag Weather with Don Day, Day Weather ★ Support this podcast ★

The August 31, 2026, edition of the Closing Market Report, hosted by Todd Gleason, covers daily market settlements, global trade dynamics, regional basis movements, and historic severe weather. Agricultural economist Joe Janzen discusses Colombia’s growing role as a top destination for U.S. corn and soybean meal, advising growers to carefully weigh storage and interest costs against harvest time cash flow needs rather than leaving grain unpriced. Purdue University’s Josh Strine outlines late-summer basis trends, noting widespread corn basis weakness across the Eastern Corn Belt alongside sharp soybean basis gains concentrated in Western Iowa. Finally, Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford reviews the state's record-shattering 2026 tornado count, which surpassed 200 following major outbreaks in April and June.02:00 Sabbatical Insights from Columbia and the Grain Trade15:38 Corn and Soybean Basis thru July and August19:18 Not Quite Tornado Alley but Getting There ★ Support this podcast ★

The August 28, 2026, edition of the *Closing Market Report*, hosted by Todd Gleason, provides an overview of commodity market movements, agronomic crop conditions, and regional weather forecasts. Mike Zuzolo of Global Commodity Analytics analyzes the late-summer market rally, attributing price strength to supply constraints from Black Sea export disruptions, geopolitical tensions, and demand rationing, while recommending a sell-and-defend marketing approach for producers. University of Illinois Extension soil fertility specialist John Jones addresses the impact of early-summer precipitation on nitrogen availability, noting that while localized losses and field variability may slightly soften average yields, remobilization of nitrogen already stored within the plant canopy will sustain grain fill for the majority of the corn crop. Concluding the broadcast, Nutrien Ag Solutions meteorologist Eric Snodgrass discusses the upcoming shift from a cool, wet August to warmer, drier conditions in September across the Corn Belt, while highlighting the broader implications of an intensifying El Niño on potential U.S. harvest delays and South American planting schedules.01:22 Ag Markets with Mike Zuzolo, Global Commodity Analytics and Consulting09:30 Corn Uses N Stored in the Plant for Grain Fill16:43 Ag Weather with Eric Snodgrass, Nutrien Ag Solutions ★ Support this podcast ★

Hosted by Todd Gleason, the August 27, 2026, edition of the *Closing Market Report* examines agricultural commodity trends, biofuels policy, and late-summer weather. Matt Bennett of AgMarket.net reviews recent market rallies and advises producers to utilize incremental risk management strategies, while noting that global wheat markets are reacting strongly to escalating Russia-Ukraine tensions. Agricultural economist Scott Irwin discusses the Renewable Fuel Standard and the potential economic fallout if the Trump administration grants more Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs) for 2025. Irwin warns that reversing biomass-based diesel mandates would severely cut soybean oil usage, potentially costing soybean producers billions of dollars. Finally, meteorologist Mike Tannura of Tstorm Weather forecasts a historic, late-season heat wave across the Corn Belt, warning that an impending string of days with temperatures in the 90s will challenge late-stage grain fill and complicate analysts' final yield expectations. The broadcast concludes by highlighting upcoming *farmdoc* webinars and the *Commodity Week* program.02:08 Ag Markets with Matt Bennett, AgMarket.net09:47 SREs and the Price of Soybeans17:09 Ag Weather with Mike Tannura, Tstorm.net ★ Support this podcast ★

The August 26, 2026, broadcast of the Closing Market Report features three primary segments covering agricultural markets, community programs, and weather forecasts. Greg Johnson of TGM analyzes a significant recent rally in commodity prices, attributing the gains to global supply-side pressures and the Pro Farmer crop tour, while advising producers to capitalize on current profitable margins. The program then shifts to farmer and broker Garrett Toay, who highlights the localized benefits of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library on early childhood literacy. Finally, Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. examines global and domestic weather patterns, utilizing historical El Niño data to project a warmer, drier trend for the western Corn Belt and stabilizing conditions in the eastern regions.01:17 Ag Markets with Greg Johnson, TGM10:49 Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and a Farmer's Family13:59 Ag Weather with Drew Lerner, World Weather Inc ★ Support this podcast ★