World Perspectives
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Black Sea Miracle

The return of the Black Sea region as the breadbasket of the world is really a story about productivity gain. Over a decade (2008 to 2017), both China and Indonesia increased their total crop output by around 25 percent, but they did this in part by expanding their cropped areas by 10.7 percent and 19.3 percent, respectively. By contrast, Ukraine increased its output by 48 percent with a less than one percent expansion in area, and Russia boosted its output by 26 percent while shrinking its cropland footprint by a small fraction.  Canada is another standout story, having boosted output by 22.5 percent while reducing land use by almost one percent. Canada and the Black Sea may also have benefited the most from the atmospheric warming o...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.3525/bushel, up $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.36/bushel, up $0 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $11.3375/bushel, up $0.065 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $321/short ton, up $4.1 from yester...

Ham-Handed; Existential WTO Questions; Miscellany; Stove Piped Regs

Ham-Handed U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the Administration will make “substantial announcements” about tariffs on coffee and other commodities not grown domestically “over the next couple of days.” The move is being made because food inflation has prov...

FOB Prices and Freight Rates App (Updated 12 November)

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 25 Corn closed at $4.3525/bushel, up $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.36/bushel, up $0 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $11.3375/bushel, up $0.065 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $321/short ton, up $4.1 from yester...

Ham-Handed; Existential WTO Questions; Miscellany; Stove Piped Regs

Ham-Handed U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the Administration will make “substantial announcements” about tariffs on coffee and other commodities not grown domestically “over the next couple of days.” The move is being made because food inflation has prov...

FOB Prices and Freight Rates App (Updated 12 November)

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

Black Sea Regional Analysis

Russian Grains Market: 3–7 November 2025 During the first week of November ,the market was predominantly bearish with rare temporary recoveries in individual regions. Wheat export prices remained stable in European Russia. The Asian part of Russia shows appreciation of prices because of a...

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From WPI Consulting

Forecasting developments in production agriculture

On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.

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