Beans

Strong Soybean Inspections to Kick off 2017-18

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 04:42:13 GMT

USDA Weekly Grain Export Inspections Week Ended September 7, 2017
Corn
Actual (MT)	662,173
Expectations (MT)	700,000-900,000
Comments:	Inspections are down 154,886 MT from the previous week and the tally was just shy of traders’ expectations. Inspections are running 59.5% behind year-ago to kick off the 2017-18 marketing year. USDA’s 2017-18 export forecast of 1.850 billion bu. is down 16.9% from the previous marketing year.
Wheat
Actual (MT)	446,957
Expectations (MT)	300,000-500,000
Comments:	Inspections are up 156,229 MT from the previous week and near the upper end of expectations. Inspections are running 2.4% ahead of year-ago versus 6.0% ahead last week. USDA’s export forecast for 2017-18 is at 975 million bu., down 7.6% from the previous marketing year.
Soybeans
Actual (MT)	1,106,268
Expectations (MMT)	450,000-650,000
Comments:	Export inspections are up 395,346 MT from the previous week, and well above expectations. Inspections for 2017-18 are running 4.0% behind year-ago at the start of the marketing year. USDA’s 2017-18 export forecast is at 2.225 billion bu., up 3.5% from year-ago.

First Thing Today: Firm Pegs Corn Crop Well Below USDA

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 04:42:07 GMT

Good morning!

Corrective trade lifts grain and soy futures overnight... The grain and soy markets enjoyed some corrective short-covering overnight. As of 6:30 a.m. CT, corn futures are mostly up 2 to 3 cents, soybeans are 5 to 6 cents higher, and wheat futures are up 2 to 4 cents in most contracts. The U.S. dollar index is marginally lower while crude oil futures are marginally higher.

Cool, wet forecast for much of the country... The National Weather Service forecast for Aug. 6-10 calls for cool, wet conditions across the bulk of the country. The exceptions include the Northern Plains where stressful dryness is likely to continue and areas west of the Rockies where heat is expected. The forecast is likely to remain a source of pressure for the corn and soybean markets.

Firm pegs corn crop well below USDA... INTL FCStone on Tuesday estimated the U.S. corn crop will yield an average 162.8 bu. per acre this year for a 13.590 billion bu. crop. The brokerage estimates the U.S. bean crop will yield 47.7 bu. per acre for a 4.235 billion bu. crop. For comparison, USDA in July estimated the U.S. corn crop at 14.255 billion bu. on an average yield of 170.4 bu. per acre. For soybeans, the department estimated production at 4.260 billion bu. with an average yield of 48.0 bu. per acre.

Uneven monsoon rains causing problems in India... While monsoon rains have brought India 1% more rain than normal so far this season, some areas are dealing with drought while others are dealing with flooding since distribution has been erratic. This has raised concerns about the country’s summer crops and led to talk India may need to increase imports of edible oils, sugar and pulses while restricting its exports of cotton, rice and feed ingredients. The India Meteorological Department details that while 58% of the country has received normal rainfall this year, the remaining 42% has received either excess of deficient rains.

Traffic again flowing on Mississippi River... The Mississippi River reopened to vessel traffic on Tuesday afternoon after a barge collision forced its closure just north of St. Louis for around 14 hours, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Repairs to the lock were reportedly completed faster than anticipated.

Congress has a lot to do on a tight schedule... There are seven legislative days in the Senate until the August recess. There are just 12 days with both chambers in session until the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. Issues in focus include the need for a fiscal year 2018 budget, budget resolution and a debt-limit hike. GOP leaders have begun their multi-month focus on tax reform.

Administration readying to probe China’s trade practices... The White House is preparing to investigate China’s trade practices and suspected violations of American intellectual property, according to reports. He Weiwen, a former Commerce Ministry official and longtime trade expert who is now a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing research group, told the New York Times that the Chinese government would study any American trade case before deciding how to respond and whether to seek intervention from the World Trade Organization. “China thinks that the bilateral trade relation is governed by WTO rules, not American domestic law,” He said.

Democrats offer Cuba trade plan amid hurdles in Congress... Lifting the economic embargo against Cuba is the goal of legislation offered by a group of Democratic senators. “It is well past time for the United States to abandon the failed policy of trying to isolate Cuba,” Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said. “Decades of experience have proven the embargo will never improve the lives of the Cuban people. Instead, this policy only serves to shut U.S. exporters out of a natural market for American agricultural and manufactured goods.” The so-called U.S./Cuba trade Act of 2017 has little chance of becoming law.

EPA now looking into dicamba situation... Directions on use of the chemical dicamba are being reviewed in the wake of hundreds of reports of crop damage from chemical drift, a spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed to Reuters. “We are reviewing the current use restrictions on the labels for these dicamba formulations in light of the incidents that have been reported this year,” said EPA spokeswoman Amy Graham said. EPA approved new formulations of dicamba late last year for two years as older formulations were known to drift from their initial target field. Scores of states are investigating damage reports from dicamba and some states have taken action to either bar its use or set restrictions on conditions under which it can be used.

Ethanol producers looking to alternative uses... Yesterday, Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Green Plains Inc. both said they will convert some fuel ethanol capacity into beverage and industrial alcohol production in addition to idling some mills as the ethanol producers continue to struggle with overcapacity and thin margins. In June, Pacific Ethanol announced it would by a beverage grade facility in Illinois.

ICAC expects slight decline in ending stocks from 2016-17 levels... The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) yesterday raised its 2017-18 global cotton production forecast by 320,000 MT from July to 24.89 MMT, which is a 1.860-MMT drop from year-ago levels. But consumption is also expected to climb from year-ago, which is expected to contribute to a 100,000 year-over-year decline in ending stocks to 18.80 MMT.

Stock market gains help lift cattle futures... The cattle complex enjoyed solid gains yesterday as traders noted the ongoing surge in the equities markets and futures’ discount to the cash index. And after a slow start to the day in terms of beef movement, load counts improved to 121 by the end of the day on mixed prices. Meanwhile, traders are still waiting for cash cattle trade to get underway.

Some positive signals for lean hog market... The pork cutout value fell $1.11 yesterday and movement picked up to an impressive 399.86 loads. Also encouraging, cash hog bids were mixed on Tuesday, with bids climbing in the western Corn Belt and Iowa/Minnesota markets but softening in the eastern Belt.

Overnight demand news... Japan says it will import 39,540 MT of feed-quality wheat and 14,345 MT of barley for livestock use via a simultaneous buy and sell auction. Bangladesh issued an international tender to buy 50,000 MT of milling wheat.

Today’s reports:

9:30 a.m., Weekly Ethanol Production -- EIA
2:00 p.m., Broiler Hatchery -- NASS

First Thing Today: China May Target Soybeans if U.S. Announces Trade Sanctions

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 04:42:07 GMT

Good morning!

Renewed selling overnight... Soybean futures dropped another 16 to 18 cents overnight as the market is on edge about trade relations with China and rains are moving across the Midwest. This helped pull corn down around 3 to 4 cents as well. Spring wheat futures are 6 to 7 cents lower, while winter wheat is down 3 to 5 cents. The greenback is slightly higher this morning.

Export sales expectations... USDA will release its weekly update on export sales activity at 7:30 a.m. CT today. Traders expect the report to show corn sales ranging from 500,000 MT to 900,000 MT, soybean sales between 350,000 MT and 750,000 MT, wheat sales of 300,000 MT to 500,000 MT, soymeal sales ranging from 25,000 MT to 275,000 MT and soyoil sales between 5,000 MT and 25,000 MT. These expectations are for both old and new-crop sales combined, with the exception of wheat.

China may target soybeans if U.S. announces trade sanctions... The Trump administration continues to mull action on China regarding intellectual property concerns. U.S. trade officials have long criticized China’s IP enforcement regime for failing to stem alleged online piracy of music, films, books, software, and video games. The U.S. Trade Representative also alleges that hackers affiliated with the Chinese government and military infiltrated the computer systems of U.S. companies and stole terabytes of data to provide commercial advantages to Chinese enterprises. China has several counter measures it could take in any official trade spat, including legal constraints on foreign companies and import curbs on specific sectors. Under a draft plan, Bloomberg reports soybeans have been singled out as the top product that can be dialed back, according to people familiar with the matter. Get more details .

Attache believes USDA too high on wheat and too low on corn crop for Argentina... An ag attache in Argentina estimates the country’s 2017-18 wheat crop will total 16.65 MMT, which is 850,000 MT below USDA’s official peg due to its smaller area estimate. “This will lower exportable supplies,” according to the attache. For corn, the post pegs the 2017-18 crop at 40.5 MMT, which is slightly above USDA’s forecast. Therefore, the attache estimates Argentina will export 29.5 MMT of corn, which tops USDA’s official projection by 1 MMT.

Global food prices climb in July... Global food prices climbed to the highest in 2 1/2 years in July as supply constraints and currency moves pushed up grain, sugar and dairy costs, according to the United Nation’s Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO). Its Food Price Index rose 3.9 points last month to 179.1 points. Also of note, FAO cut its global wheat crop forecast for 2017 by nearly 3.3 MMT to 739.9 MMT, due almost entirely to “smaller crops in the EU and Ukraine, where dry conditions are anticipated to reduce yields.”

Timeline for farm bill... The House ag panel’s goal is to report a new farm bill out of committee by Thanksgiving, with floor debate and votes by the first quarter of 2018. Senate Ag Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) has asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.,) for two days of floor time for the farm bill. Meanwhile, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue kicks off his five-state “Back to Our Roots” tour today with a trip to Wisconsin, where he will visit the state fair, participate in a farm bill listening session, tour the Hunger Task Force Farm and have a meeting with Blain Supply employees. He’ll make stops in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana later on in the farm bill tour.

Timeline for tax reform... House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said Wednesday that tax reform legislation needs to reach Trump’s desk by Thanksgiving and must be retroactive to the start of this year. Not meeting those goals would blunt the economic impact of reshaping U.S. tax laws, Meadows said at an event hosted by Americans for Prosperity. But a complex tax reform faces several hurdles and lengthy debate ahead.

Sen. Graham: Trump’s immigration plan would harm agriculture, tourism... Trump’s endorsed plan to reduce legal immigration to the U.S. “would be devastating to our state’s economy which relies on this immigrant workforce,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “I fear this proposal will not only hurt our agriculture, tourism and service economy in South Carolina, it incentivizes more illegal immigration as positions go unfilled.” Graham said the legislation from Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia, which Trump endorsed, would reduce legal immigration by half. The bill faces high hurdles, especially in the Senate, and is not expected to clear Congress. Read more about the plan .

EIA report shows U.S. imported ethanol for first time since May... Ethanol imports averaged 38,000 barrels per day in the week ended July 28, the first time foreign supply has appeared in weekly data since May 5 and the highest since Sept. 18, 2015, a U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) report showed. Inventories declined 3.1% to 20.9 million barrels, the steepest decline since June 2.

JBS hires retired USDA food safety official... Brazilian meatpacking conglomerate JBS has hired former USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Food Safety Al Almanza as their head of global food safety, a newly created position, according to reports. Almaza retired this week after spending nearly 40 years at USDA and his hiring by JBS marks another effort by the company to shore up its reputation in the wake of a food safety scandal that rocked the Brazilian meat industry earlier this year. “I look forward to helping JBS maintain the highest food safety levels in the industry, and putting in place best-in-class benchmarks and safeguards to ensure that our products continue to exceed all industry standards,” Almanza said in a statement.

Cash cattle trade gets underway at better prices than trade anticipated... Cash cattle trade started at prices mostly falling in a range from $116 to $117 across the Plains yesterday, which was steady to down just $1 from the week prior. This was much better than traders anticipated, which helped futures to rally into the close yesterday. Followthrough buying is very much a possibility today given futures’ discount to the cash market.

Resilient cash hog market... According to USDA’s national summary, cash hog bids strengthened across the Midwest yesterday, signaling still solid packing demand. This adds to ideas the dramatic plunge in the cash market futures signal traders are expecting may not occur. Meanwhile, belly prices continue to slide, which weighed on the pork cutout value yesterday. Bellies are down nearly $11 for the week. But movement was again solid.

Overnight demand news... Japan bought 50,080 MT of food-quality wheat from the U.S. as well as 49,665 MT from Canada and 33,180 MT from Australia. Jordan purchased 50,000 MT of milling wheat.

Today’s reports:

7:30 a.m., Drought Monitor -- USDA/NWS
7:30 a.m., Weekly Export Sales -- FAS
2:00 p.m., Cash Rents -- NASS
2:00 p.m., Dairy Products -- NASS
2:00 p.m., Farm Production Expenditures -- NASS
2:00 p.m., Land Values -- NASS

First Thing Today: WOTUS Repeal News May Come Today

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 04:42:03 GMT

Light short-covering in corn and beans overnight... Corn futures are fractionally higher amid some light short-covering at week’s end. Soybean futures are up 2 to 3 cents thanks to some similar action. SRW wheat is around a penny higher, HRW wheat is around a penny lower, and trade is limited in the spring wheat market. The U.S. dollar index is down slightly while crude oil futures are marginally higher.

WOTUS repeal news may come today... The Environmental Protection Agency’s formal repeal of the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule released under the Obama administration could come as soon as today. The proposed rule and guidance have been undergoing White House review since May. A court battle will likely result.

China remains an aggressive buyer of soybeans... China imported nearly 9.587 MMT of soybeans last month, a 25.1% boost from year-ago, with Brazil accounting for 82.8% of that total. But thanks to a slow start to Brazil’s export season, the U.S. was able to ship China more than 1.470 MMT of soybeans last month, a 166.2% surge from year-ago. Five months into the year, China’s imports of soybeans stand at roughly 37.121 MMT, which is up 19.8% from last year at this point.

China ups wheat buys amid slack corn purchases... China imported just 42,219 MT of corn in May, a 95.9% plunge from last year, with Ukraine supplying more than half the total. So far this marketing year, China has brought in 352,159 MT of corn, also down sharply (87.6%) from year-ago. In contrast, Beijing has upped its wheat purchases, bringing in 502,757 MT of the grain in May, with the U.S. as its top supplier. So far this marketing year, China’s wheat imports stand at more than 2.175 MMT, up 67.6% from last year. Australia and the U.S. have been its top suppliers.

China ramps up ethanol exports... China exported 16,304 cubic meters of ethanol during May, a 15 times more than what it shipped in May 2016, according to customs data. The country has rolled out a series of measures meant to boost processors’ consumption of its aging corn stockpiles. For the first five months of the year, China’s ethanol shipments stand at 59,000 cubic meters, levels not seen since 2010. The boost in Chinese production plus restrictive tariffs on ethanol imports that were put in place at the end of 2016 have choked off U.S. shipments of ethanol to Beijing.

Results of latest Chinese corn auction... China sold more than 1.171 MMT of 2013-crop corn from its state reserves at an auction today, which represented 50.1% of the total supplies offered. The sales took place at an average price of 1,347 yuan ($196.97) per metric ton.

Argy ag ministry ups corn crop peg, cuts soybean crop... The Argentine ag ministry cuts its 2016-17 soybean crop estimate by 1 MMT to 57 MMT yesterday, citing a reduction in harvested area. On the other hand, the ministry raised its corn crop estimate by 1 MMT to 47.5 MMT. The ministry also trimmed its 2017-18 wheat planted area projection by 100,000 hectares to 5.9 million hectares.

French wheat crop ratings drop amid dry weather... French soft wheat crop ratings plunged the week ending June 19 to 68% good to excellent, down six points from week-ago, according to FranceAgriMer. This signals dry conditions were having a big impact on the crop, even before a heatwave set in this week. More declines are likely ahead. The French farm office also lowered its corn crop rating by 2 percentage points to 84% good to excellent.

USDA suspends fresh beef imports from Brazil on safety concerns... The move came after Brazil earlier suspended beef exports from five slaughterhouses to the U.S., after a foot-and-mouth disease vaccine potentially caused abscesses in some cattle. USDA said the block on Brazilian beef would remain in place until Brazil’s agricultural ministry “takes corrective action which the USDA finds satisfactory.” Since USDA’s FSIS has been scrutinizing all Brazilian meat shipments to the U.S. since March, officials have rejected about 11% of Brazilian fresh beef products — a rate far above the 1% rejected from other fresh beef exporting nations. About 1.9 million pounds of Brazilian beef were turned away due to public health concerns, sanitary conditions, and animal health issues since then.

COF report expected to show all major categories up from year-ago... Traders expect USDA to report there were around 11.060 million head of cattle on feed as of June 1, which would be up 2.4% from year-ago levels. Placements and marketings are also expected to be up 10.4% and 8.5%, respectively, from year-ago levels. We will have full coverage of the Cattle on Feed (COF) report in “Evening Report” and online.

Packers bringing in big profits as cash prices tumble... Packer profit margins climbed above $212 per head yesterday, keeping demand for animals solid. But supplies are also readily available in most regions. As a result, packers were able to purchase cattle at sharply lower prices this week. Some additional trade took place around $119 to $120 yesterday. The ongoing slide in futures signals traders believe more dramatic declines are ahead for the cash market. On a more positive note, yesterday’s Cold Storage Report showed frozen beef stocks at the end of May were a bit lighter than expected.

Cash hog market gives signs of topping... Cash hog bids have been mixed this week, hinting that a seasonal top may be near. This has given traders incentive to book some profits, though nearby contracts are trading at a discount to the cash index. After slipping Tuesday and Wednesday, cash bids turned higher again on Thursday.

Overnight demand news... Egypt bought 120,000 MT of wheat from Romania and 55,000 MT of wheat from Ukraine.

Today’s reports:

8:00 am Food Price Outlook -- ERS
2:00 p.m., Cattle on Feed -- NASS
2:00 p.m., Chickens and Eggs -- NASS

First Thing Today: Spring Wheat Futures Surge on Ratings Drop

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 04:42:03 GMT

Wheat futures rally on drop in spring wheat ratings... Corn futures are steady to a penny higher after a quiet overnight session. Soybeans are narrowly mixed as of 6:30 a.m. CT. Spring wheat futures are up 10 to 13 cents in 2017 contracts thanks to an unexpected decline in condition ratings. Winter wheat futures are up 2 to 4 cents. The U.S. dollar index is marginally higher, while crude oil futures re sharply lower.

PF CCI: Another big drop for spring wheat... When USDA’s weekly crop condition ratings are plugged into the weighted Pro Farmer Crop Condition Index (0 to 500 point scale, with 500 being perfect), the spring wheat crop dropped another 9.53 points to 317.36 points, signaling weekend rains provided little relief. Traders had anticipated an uptick in ratings, so the ongoing slide in conditions lifted HRS wheat overnight. Of the six major producing states, only Minnesota saw any improvement. Montana led the decline. Get more details .

PF CCI: Corn and soybean conditions improve slightly... The corn CCI climbed 3.57 points over the past week to 370.99 points, signaling rain helped the corn crop. Corn ratings are still down roughly 15 points from year-ago levels, however. Soybean condition ratings also climbed 1.25 points over the past week to 361.82 points. That crop is down 10.8 points from year-ago. Find more details here .

Consultant leaning down on corn and soybean estimates, but makes no official change... Crop Consultant Dr. Michael Cordonnier left his corn yield estimate at 167 bu. per acre, but he has a neutral to lower bias going forward. He notes that showers last week stabilized the crop for the time being, though more rains are needed. He also left his soybean yield estimate at 48 bu. per acre, with a neutral to lower bias. He explains that he thinks “it is a little too early to be really concerned about the soybean crop. Soybeans can experience adverse conditions during the month of June, but still do OK if the weather during July and August is beneficial.”

Replacement workers quit, meaning more disruptions for Argentine grain shipments... Yesterday we reported that the arrival of replacement workers got grain shipments back underway at Argentina’s main Rosario shipping hub, but those workers have now quit due to threats and intimidation from striking workers. This has again halted grain cargo ships. The strike is now entering its sixth day, with the head of the San Lorenzo delegation of the CGT saying the strike will continue and pledging to block access to port terminals. Also of note, Argentine farmers have been slow to sell soybeans to exporters due to low prices. Sales to exporters are down 22.6% from year-ago levels according to the latest official data.

Georgia special election eyed; South Carolina contest as well... The runoff election between Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff has already become the most expensive House race in U.S. history – some $60 million plopped down by both parties as the GOP seeks to keep the seat vacated by Tom Price as he joined the Trump administration. The race remains close in the polls – a WSB TV/Landmark Communications poll June 15 showed Ossoff with 49.7% of the vote and Handel with 48% (3.5% margin of error). Cook Political Report House Editor David Wasserman forecasts a one-point victory for Ossoff. There is also a special race in South Carolina, where most expect Republican Ralph Norman to prevail over Democrat Archie Parnell.

Senators push for poultry policy focus in NAFTA 2.0 talks... A group of senators is pushing for poultry issues to be addressed via the upcoming NAFTA 2.09 talks. “We write to urge strong consideration for American poultry farmers, processors and exporters in the negotiation process, both in eliminating trade barriers imposed by Canada against American poultry and in ensuring that our poultry trade with Mexico remains robust,” the lawmakers said. While NAFTA was to have resulted in a goal of eliminating tariffs in goods traded between the three countries, the lawmakers said, “Unfortunately, in practice, this goal has proven difficult to achieve. This has been particularly true for American poultry, which continues to face trade barriers in North America more than 20 years after NAFTA’s enactment.” Meanwhile, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is downplaying the potential for the NAFTA 2.0 talks to be wrapped up yet this year.

Smaller grain crop forecast for Kazakhstan... Kazakhstan will likely produce a grain crop totaling between 17 MMT and 18 MMT in 2017, the country’s ag minister said in its first forecast of the season today. This would be down from last year’s 20.6 MMT. The minister expects Kazakhstan to export between 8 MMT and 8.5 MMT of grain in the 2017-18 marketing year that kicks off July 1.

Big increase in Chinese farmer subsidies... China will issue around 2.56 billion yuan ($374.95 million) in subsidies aimed at encouraging farmers to rotate their corn plantings with other crops and to leave some land fallow this year, the Ministry of Finance announced today. This is a 78% increase in funding from last year, and the acreage targeted by the subsidies is also up sharply at around 800,000 hectares -- 133,000 hectares that must lie fallow and 667,000 hectares where producers must rotate corn with other crops. Chinese farmers also get “producer” subsidies for major crops.

Japan’s use of corn in feed rations down slightly from year-ago... The ratio of Japan’s use of corn in animal feed climbed to 46.4% in April, up 0.7 percentage points from March but 0.1 points down from year-ago levels, according to preliminary data from Japan’s ag ministry. Wheat made up 1.9% of its feed rations in April, steady with March but up 0.3 points from last year.

Drop in pork sales for China comes much sooner than expected... Chinese pork sales have fallen for the past three years and they are likely to drop again in 2017, according to data from the research firm Euromonitor. This peak in pork demand came much earlier than anticipated; many producers and experts had expected growth in pork demand to continue at least until 2026. Since the late 1970s, pork demand had expanded by an average of 5.7% per year until 2014. Young urbanites and white collar workers are increasingly focused on reducing fat in diets, swapping out meat for vegetables. And with childhood obesity on the rise, the Chinese government is pushing a nationwide shift in eating habits.

Futures signal bearish bias toward cash market... Traders appear to have a lower bias toward this week’s cash cattle action, extending rather than narrowing futures’ discount to last week’s trade that took place in a wide range from $125 to $135. Showlist estimates are up a net 12,000 head this week, with numbers up at at all major states. Boxed beef prices were mixed on Monday and movement failed to impress at 94 loads.

Cash hog bids continue to climb... A strong start to the week for the cash hog market eased concerns the market may be working on a top, giving traders incentive to push prices sharply higher. But while the pork cutout value firmed to start the week, movement was lackluster at 227.01 loads. Traders are hopeful buying for Independence Day will eventually improve product movement.

Overnight demand news... Japan hopes to buy a total of 135,747 MT of food-quality wheat from the U.S., Canada and Australia in its regular tender.

Today’s reports:

None.

Play ball!

Sun, 08 Nov 2020 17:26:17 GMT

In case you missed it you can now share the -8-25-20 evening of absurdity with nationally-syndicated cartoonists Leigh Rubin, creator of the comic strip “Rubes,” and Wisconsin State Journal editorial cartoonist Phil Hands. This odd couple riffed off each other’s cartoons, demonstrated how the twisted minds of two different cartoonists work. If you’ve ever wanted to learn from a professional smart-aleck or full-time doodler, now’s your chance!

Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/DMKXBYXOkHQ

That's the brakes!

Sun, 08 Nov 2020 17:26:17 GMT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMKXBYXOkHQ

“Virtual Scouting Around the World 2020”

Sun, 08 Nov 2020 17:26:07 GMT

I am honored to be able to participate in the creation of these new Social Distancing and Virtual Scouting Around the World patches!

https://www.firstgiving.com/event/swc/rubespatch

SUPPORT VIRTUAL SCOUTING WHILE STAYING AT HOME

Be among the first to own an original “Virtual Scouting Around the World 2020” patch custom designed by internationally syndicated cartoonist Leigh Rubin (Rubes®). The patch represents how Scouting connects youth and communities worldwide even more now in a virtual setting.

Every patch you purchase supports enhanced virtual programming and safe social meeting spaces that enable kids to continue to stay connected with their friends, learn new skills, and support their community.

https://www.firstgiving.com/event/swc/rubespatch

https://www.firstgiving.com/event/swc/rubespatch