World Perspectives

Livestock Industry Margins

Beef packer margins deteriorated to -$218/head last week, down $20 from the prior week as a softer Choice cutout combined with slightly lower fed cattle prices. The cutout slipped to $391/cwt while fed cattle prices eased to $256/cwt, leaving packer profits under pressure. Margins remain deeply...

From the Newsroom

Congratulations to Gary Blumenthal on his retirement after more than 40 years of service to agriculture and WPI. From Capitol Hill to USDA, the White House, and WPI, Gary helped shape agricultural policy and trade for decades. Thank you, Gary, and best wishes in retirement!

Celebrating Gary Blumenthal’s Retirement After a Storied Career

After more than 40 years serving the agricultural industry and leading World Perspectives, Inc., Gary Blumenthal is retiring. His career—which included time on Capitol Hill, at USDA and the White House—helped shape U.S. and international agricultural policy and guided strategic disc...

Today’s Top insights
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Jul 26 Corn closed at $4.155/bushel, up $0.0275 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Wheat closed at $5.8975/bushel, up $0.0525 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Soybeans closed at $11.1925/bushel, up $0.0575 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Soymeal closed at $302/short ton, up $0.7 from...

New Agreements on Iran War and EU Tariffs, Questions Remain

The U.S. and Iran announced a framework peace deal. Crude oil futures dropped to $83.08, the lowest since early March. The breakthrough comes as President Trump said that if Iran failed to reach a deal, he would order renewed military attacks. An LNG tanker chartered by India’s Petronet c...

farm-inputs

Vertical Farming: A Promising Concept Held Back by Economic Challenges

Key Takeaways: Vertical farming offers year-round production, reduced water use, and the ability to grow fresh produce closer to consumers. High electricity consumption for lighting and climate control has proven to be the industry's biggest obstacle to profitability. Large upfront investments...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Jul 26 Corn closed at $4.155/bushel, up $0.0275 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Wheat closed at $5.8975/bushel, up $0.0525 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Soybeans closed at $11.1925/bushel, up $0.0575 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Soymeal closed at $302/short ton, up $0.7 from...

New Agreements on Iran War and EU Tariffs, Questions Remain

The U.S. and Iran announced a framework peace deal. Crude oil futures dropped to $83.08, the lowest since early March. The breakthrough comes as President Trump said that if Iran failed to reach a deal, he would order renewed military attacks. An LNG tanker chartered by India’s Petronet c...

farm-inputs

Vertical Farming: A Promising Concept Held Back by Economic Challenges

Key Takeaways: Vertical farming offers year-round production, reduced water use, and the ability to grow fresh produce closer to consumers. High electricity consumption for lighting and climate control has proven to be the industry's biggest obstacle to profitability. Large upfront investments...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

WPI Crop Progress and Conditions App (Updated 15 June)

Developer's Note:  Last year, users pointed out differences between the 5-year averages reported in this app and what USDA estimates in its weekly report. The difference exists because WPI calculates average based on the last 5 years of observations for the current week. In cases where obs...

Market Commentary: CBOT Bounces on Iran Peace Deal Despite Bearish Long-Run Outlook

What You Need to Know Today: The U.S. and Iran agreed to a peace deal on Monday with the deal expected to be signed Friday in Switzerland. The memorandum signed is explicit that Iran will allow 60 days of toll-free transit for all traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and President Trump annou...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

WPI Crop Progress and Conditions App (Updated 15 June)

Developer's Note:  Last year, users pointed out differences between the 5-year averages reported in this app and what USDA estimates in its weekly report. The difference exists because WPI calculates average based on the last 5 years of observations for the current week. In cases where obs...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Mercosur Regional Analysis

Wheat Rainfall across most of Argentina's agricultural regions during the past week slowed the pace of 2026/27 wheat planting. Even so, planting progress has reached 44.2 percent of the projected 6.5 million hectares, following a weekly advance of 11.8 percentage points. Fieldwork was concentra...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds energy

Peace Deal in Iran: What Does It Mean for Ags?

Early Sunday evening, President Trump and Iranian officials confirmed the two countries have agreed to a peace deal.  The agreement notes the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened (though President Trump cautioned time would be needed “for purposes of mine removal”) and the U.S. bl...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

CFTC COT Report Analysis

The ongoing shift in ag commodity markets from bullish to bearish sentiments resulted in funds halving their all-ags net long last week, liquidating 330,000 contracts (52 percent), pulling back from the largest net long since at least 2016 forged just five weeks prior. This, combined with the w...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Jul 26 Corn closed at $4.1275/bushel, up $0.01 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Wheat closed at $5.845/bushel, down $0.0225 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Soybeans closed at $11.135/bushel, down $0.015 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Soymeal closed at $301.3/short ton, down $0.4...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Quiet Trade Follows WASDE as Livestock Sector Faces Capacity Shifts

What You Need to Know Today: It was a quiet trading day across major agricultural commodities, with most contracts closing within 1 percent of the previous day's settlement. Trading volumes for corn and the soy complex were lighter than earlier in the week, as traders were positioning before a...

livestock

Policy Roundup: NWS, Section 122 Tariffs, and Dairy Producer Agenda

New World Screwworm Another day, another case of New World Screwworm. USDA has reported nine cases of New World Screwworm (NWS) in the U.S. Of the nine reported cases, eight are located across four counties in Texas—Edwards, Gillespie, La Salle, and Zavala. Of the eight cases in Texas, si...

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