World Perspectives

Market Commentary: U.S.-China Talks Leave Markets Waiting for More

What You Need to Know Today: Headlines emerging from negotiations between President Trump and President Xi were relatively limited, with a more substantive announcement expected Monday. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer indicated that additional details related to agricultural trade cou...

Today’s Top insights
biofuel farm-inputs energy

Diesel Fuel Costs, One Acre at a Time

Key Takeaways: Diesel accounts for about 64 percent of U.S. farm fuel spending. For farmers, the pressing question is what a higher price adds to each field operation. Iowa farm diesel averaged $5.50/gallon in September, compared with the $2.89/gallon Iowa State assumed for its February machin...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.2825/bushel, up $0.0075 from yesterday's close.  Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.0325/bushel, down $0.0375 from yesterday's close.  Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.19/bushel, up $0.015 from yesterday's close.  Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $371/short ton, down $1.4 fr...

livestock

Cold Storage Report Summary and Analysis

August 2026 total red meat and poultry stocks totaled 2.01 billion pounds, down 0.5 percent from July versus the typical 0.3 percent monthly decline, but 0.9 percent above August 2025 levels. Total red meat stocks rose 0.8 percent for the month despite typically declining 0.1 percent and were 8...

biofuel farm-inputs energy

Diesel Fuel Costs, One Acre at a Time

Key Takeaways: Diesel accounts for about 64 percent of U.S. farm fuel spending. For farmers, the pressing question is what a higher price adds to each field operation. Iowa farm diesel averaged $5.50/gallon in September, compared with the $2.89/gallon Iowa State assumed for its February machin...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.2825/bushel, up $0.0075 from yesterday's close.  Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.0325/bushel, down $0.0375 from yesterday's close.  Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.19/bushel, up $0.015 from yesterday's close.  Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $371/short ton, down $1.4 fr...

livestock

Cold Storage Report Summary and Analysis

August 2026 total red meat and poultry stocks totaled 2.01 billion pounds, down 0.5 percent from July versus the typical 0.3 percent monthly decline, but 0.9 percent above August 2025 levels. Total red meat stocks rose 0.8 percent for the month despite typically declining 0.1 percent and were 8...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

CFTC COT Report Analysis

Managed money was a slight net seller across agricultural markets for the second straight week, selling a net 3,200 contracts through Tuesday’s reporting deadline and reducing the combined net-long position to 1.017 million contracts. Despite the modest overall selling, soybeans and soyme...

Cow-Calf Market Outlook

The heat of summer is now transitioning into more moderate temperatures, and the next two months have the busiest marketing periods of the year for replacement cattle. Weather always influences the replacement cattle market, and the primary grain belt in the Southern Plains, where many cattle a...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

CFTC COT Report Analysis

Managed money was a slight net seller across agricultural markets for the second straight week, selling a net 3,200 contracts through Tuesday’s reporting deadline and reducing the combined net-long position to 1.017 million contracts. Despite the modest overall selling, soybeans and soyme...

equities energy

Bad Ideas Redux

It’s often said that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes. If only humanity could stop repeating the worst parts of our historic verse. Politicians, again at the center of this week’s follies, have found a way to make old mistakes sound new: announce them at a pr...

FOB Prices and Freight Rates App (Updated 25 September)

WPI Grain Prices and Freight Rate App Note: you can also visit the app directly by clicking here. Supplemental Information The section below offers a concise view of the options available in the current version of the WPI FOB Price and Freight Rate app, along with a short “How To”...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.275/bushel, down $0.015 from yesterday's close.  Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.07/bushel, down $0.015 from yesterday's close.  Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.175/bushel, down $0.005 from yesterday's close.  Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $372.4/short ton, up $1.8 fr...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Markets Await Xi-Trump Meeting Outcome, Export Sales Disappoint

What You Need to Know Today: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at the White House today as part of a highly anticipated three-day visit to the United States, marking his first visit to Washington in eleven years. Trade is expected to feature prominently in discussions with President Trump,...

livestock

Livestock Round Up: Quick Hits – Elections, Beef Imports, Xi Meeting and ICE

Officials from the Trump Administration are reportedly considering rolling back the Administration’s beef import plan as there is a growing panic about the midterm elections. The proposal to reduce the 300,000 MT of beef imports – 100,000 MT for September – is being discussed...

soy-oilseeds livestock farm-inputs

The Farm at the Edge of the World: American Agriculture and a Global Reckoning

Key Takeaways: The United States shifted from a decades-long agricultural trade surplus to a growing deficit, reaching roughly forty-one to forty-four billion dollars in recent fiscal years, a structural change rather than a cyclical dip. Brazil has overtaken the United States as the leading s...

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