Scott and I would like to provide you with some basic information on the types of grease products we offer in our CFC trade area.

Cenex Grease types

Maxtron FS = Maxtron FS has excellent structural stability. The 100% synthetic base oils give it excellent performance properties at both high- and low-temperatures. High structural shear stability and a high performance base oil make it an outstanding multi-purpose grease.

Maxtron EP = Maxtron EP is produced with a specially selected synthetic blend base oil combined with a lithium complex thickener for high-temperature performance, and a carefully balanced additive package for superior rust control, oxidation control and wear protection.

Molyplex 500+ = Molyplex 500+ is a premium, heavy duty multi-purpose lithium complex grease recommended for automotive, industrial and agricultural use. Molyplex 500+ contains 1.3% moly (Molybdenum Disulfide), one of the most effective dry film lubricating substances available.

Blue Gard 500+ = Blue Gard® 500+TM is a modern, high-performance, heavy duty, lithium complex multi-purpose grease, that sets a new standard for automotive, industrial and agricultural use. Blue Gard 500+ qualifies for the highest performance level of automotive chassis and wheel-bearing grease classification, GC-LB for its #2 NLGI grade. Its excellent low-temperature characteristics, water resistance properties and superior oxidation control allow for long service in both on- and off-road equipment.

ML 365 = ML 365® is a high quality multi-purpose, all season lithium grease available in NLGI grades 00, 0, 1 and 2. This product provides wide temperature range protection and can be recommended for many applications in agriculture, construction and industrial environments.

Molybdenum Disulfide (Moly) Grease

Molybdenum (muh-lib-duh-nuh m), also known as “Moly” is a key component when it comes to protecting equipment in harsh operating conditions. The principal ore from which molybdenum is extracted is molybdenite. The appearance and texture of this crystalline sulfide is very similar to graphite. Moly is made stronger with the addition of plastics, making it ideal to be used as a solid lubricant to reduce friction.

Moly is found in four Cenex grease products: HD Moly Xtreme, Molyplex 500+, Maxtron^® EP and Aluben EP Moly grease. With the enhancement of moly, you can expect superior resistance to wear from shock loading and heavy-duty applications. Molybdenum Disulfide along with other additives contribute to the Cenex brand of high-quality greases used for protection in automotive, construction, and agricultural equipment.

For more information on these products, please reach out to your local CFC location.

Thank you for the opportunity to earn your business.

With all the snow we still have around, it’s hard to believe that spring is right around the corner.  So the calendar says.  Having an in-depth plan with your crop inputs will be critical this year. Spring will come fast and furious and we need to be prepared.

A key piece regarding fertilizer this year is stabilizers. CFC offers a few options. It is important to protect your investment when spreading dry and liquid this spring. Ask your agronomist about the different stabilizers we offer and don’t forget to talk about our variable rate fertilizer program.

Our CMT program will be a valuable way for you to maximize your fertilizer tons. Place the fertilizer in the correct parts of the field and build the soil per 2.5-acre grids or 5-acre grids to give you the maximum ROI possible on every acre.

In addition to fertilizer tools for being successful, we need to get fields clean and stay clean this year. With the possible short spring window, we must act fast and have a good multi-chemistry residual program put in place to ensure the crop is getting all the moisture that is available and not weeds. Talk to your local agronomist about the many different chemical plans we offer.

Our farmer success is what strives us to wake up and do what we do every day so communication with your agronomist is the most important tool you can have this spring. Spring is always a crazy time of year but with communication anything can be resolved. We look forward to serving our committed customers in the coming spring weeks and throughout the growing season. We hope everybody has a successful and, more importantly, a safe planting and growing season.

Grain markets continued their spring swoon this week as both corn and soybeans continue to seek levels that discover new demand. In recent days corn seems to have found those levels as China bought approximately 2MMT of corn last week and has bought 250k MT so far this week. However, we do need those sales to continue as Exports continue to lag 25% of the USDA forecast for the marketing year. From a chart standpoint $6.40 May futures seems to be strong resistance, even though we did break through that price level on Thursday. Left to its own, it seems like corn wants to trade higher, but the horrible price action in the soybeans weighs on the market for the time being.  Funds are now net short, so the market does have the fuel needed to bounce back if we continue to see any further positive demand stories or a surprise bullish Planting intentions report next week.

As previously mentioned, soybean price action has been like catching a falling knife - no one is willing to stop it. There are reports that Brazilian soybean basis continues to widen sharply as world buyers have disappeared.  As of now Brazilian soybeans are $68/MT cheaper than US beans. There is talk that the math might work to import Brazilian soybeans into the southeastern United States. Soy Processor crush margins have been under pressure, now off $1.00 from their early March highs. The managed money and spec crowd have been compelled to pitch their long positions and possibly move to a net short position given the current market environment. While this market is extremely oversold from a technical standpoint, it still feels like flat price still needs to probe lower to find levels that the world soy buyer views as a value.