By DTN Staff

OMAHA (DTN) -- Here are the Top 5 things the DTN Newsroom is tracking for the week of Feb. 2. Watch for coverage of these and other topics through the week on our subscription platforms as well as on www.DTNPF.com.

Note that all report release times are Central Standard Time unless otherwise noted.

1. Drive for $5. Corn futures appeared to be on a slight down trend as the previous week closed out, but there was ample evidence that prices near $5 had grain moving to town out in the countryside. Global corn stocks remain tight, dry weather in Argentina and harvest-halting rains in Brazil give some hope of No. 2 yellow pushing above the $5 mark. The damper: tariff and trade war worries from key corn exporters like Mexico and China.

2. Tariffs announced by U.S./Canada/Mexico: After the U.S. announced Saturday it will have universal tariffs on its three biggest trading partners of Canada, Mexico and China -- which are also the three biggest ag commodity markets for the U.S. -- this led to retaliatory tariffs and other measures being announced by Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton wrote about the U.S. tariffs Saturday evening (see https://www.dtnpf.com/…). Clayton and our DTN team will continue to cover the issues, potential issues, and responses to those that influence ag trade and farming in general. As always, our focus will be on what is real and what it means.

3. Cold-warm cycles continue: The winter weather update shows a ridge will dominate the United States through the middle of the week. Cold air in Western Canada will seep into the Northern Plains, but have difficulty replacing the warm air in the rest of the country until late in the week and next weekend. Cold remains in the Northern Plains, with limited precipitation. There's better chances for rain and snow in the Central and Southern Plains, with cold air pushing back into that region late week. Conditions stay on the warm side in the Midwest and South, increasing some river thawing and raising ice jam concerns in the Mississippi watershed.

4. Cattlemen convene: This week is the National Cattlemen's Beef Association annual meeting in San Antonio, and we'll have coverage from the event. New herd health products, new market and trade expectations, and a pasture-full of policy choices will all be on tap. Prior to the meeting starting, the USDA announced on the weekend that U.S. and Mexico will resume its cattle trade in the next few days. APHIS halted shipments of cattle and bison from Mexico in November 2024 after a positive detection of New World screwworm in southern Mexico. See more about the U.S.-Mexico border opening soon at https://www.dtnpf.com/….

5. Economic reports to watch: Monday at 8:45 a.m. the S&P Manufacturing PMI is released. At 9 a.m. we'll see the latest Construction Spending and ISM Manufacturing data. At 10 a.m. Grain Inspections numbers are out, followed at 2 p.m. with Fats and Oils report and the Grain Crushings and Flour Milling reports. Tuesday we'll see Jobs Opening (JOLTS) and Factory Orders data at 9 a.m. Wednesday reports begin at 7:15 a.m. with ADP Employment and U.S. Trade deficit figures. At 8:45 a.m. comes S&P Final U.S, and the Services PMI data. At 9:30 a.m. is EIA's Weekly Petroleum Status, including ethanol production and stocks. At 2 p.m. we'll see Broiler Hatchery and Dairy Products reports. Thursday we'll watch for Initial Jobless Claims numbers at 7:30 a.m., as well as U.S. Productivity and Grain Export Sales. At 10 a.m. the Farm Income Forecast Data and Livestock and Meat International Trade Data is out. At 2 p.m. there is Slaughter Weekly data, and at 9:30 a.m. the Weekly Economic Index is released. Friday will be busy starting at 7:30 a.m. with U.S. employment report and unemployment rate and Hourly Wages data. At 9 a.m. Wholesale Inventories and Consumer Sentiment figures are released. At 2 p.m. we'll see latest Consumer Credit and U.S. Trade data, followed by 2:30 p.m. release of CFTC's Commitment of Traders report.

DTN bonus content: In our latest Field Posts podcast episode E229 called, "AgTech Makes Waves at Annual Electronics Show," hosted by Sarah Mock, Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Dan Miller shares what he found out from CES, the world's largest showcase of technology and electronics, held every year in sunny Las Vegas. In the last decade or so, ag tech companies, and especially ag equipment companies, have been attending this event to show off their latest hardware and software tools, and so DTN has also attended to keep up with the technological forecast on display.

Miller describes what leading companies are bringing to the table in terms of innovation in 2025. He dives into offerings from John Deere, Kubota, and others, as the companies demonstrated their freshest takes on autonomous and electrified farm implements. Robots big and small were well represented across the agricultural cohort, many of which operate using cutting-edge software and artificial intelligence. Dan will also share his take on the show-stopping tools that growers might look forward to seeing at the Farm Machinery Show and Commodity Classic later this year.

Then he'll dig into key themes around labor access, how tech companies think they might help farmers manage labor shortages, and the most "out there" aspects of the show in his eyes.

You can listen to this and other Field Posts podcasts at https://www.dtnpf.com/…, https://www.buzzsprout.com/… and they're also available on podcast hosting sites such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Watch for the latest news at www.dtnpf.com, and follow and like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dtnprogressivefarmer. You can find our news on Instagram as well. Give us a follow @dtn.agnews

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