World Perspectives
livestock

Bye Bye Black Sheep

New Zealand famously is a country with more sheep than people, but the competition is slipping in favor of humans. The problem is the economics of wool, which is no longer an economically supportive coproduct. Wool is less needed in a warming world with many man-made alternative fibers, and landowners make more money converting grasslands to carbon credit paying forests.   Wool production in New Zealand and in the rest of the world is in decline. While sheep meat output in New Zealand declines along with that of wool, global sheep meat has been expanding. However, it is falling behind the expansion rate of competing animal proteins such as poultry meat. Lamb consumption has always had a smaller group of fans, based on historic ge...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Soybean Sales to China Fail to Impress CBOT

The CBOT was almost uniformly lower on Wednesday with traders booking any long profits and likely adding some short spec positions as momentum wanes from the markets. The down day was a little surprising after USDA reported another 12.1 Mbu of soybeans sold to China for 2025/26, but that news h...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.2975/bushel, down $0.07 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.495/bushel, down $0.095 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $11.3625/bushel, down $0.1725 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $318.9/short ton, down $8...

livestock

Livestock Industry Margins

Beef packer margins strengthened for the fourth straight week and posted one of their largest weekly gains of the year. Margins rose $42/head to $57 as fed cattle prices slipped another $4/cwt and the cutout held near recent highs. The move pushed packer profits to their firmest levels since ea...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Soybean Sales to China Fail to Impress CBOT

The CBOT was almost uniformly lower on Wednesday with traders booking any long profits and likely adding some short spec positions as momentum wanes from the markets. The down day was a little surprising after USDA reported another 12.1 Mbu of soybeans sold to China for 2025/26, but that news h...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.2975/bushel, down $0.07 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.495/bushel, down $0.095 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $11.3625/bushel, down $0.1725 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $318.9/short ton, down $8...

livestock

Livestock Industry Margins

Beef packer margins strengthened for the fourth straight week and posted one of their largest weekly gains of the year. Margins rose $42/head to $57 as fed cattle prices slipped another $4/cwt and the cutout held near recent highs. The move pushed packer profits to their firmest levels since ea...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Sell The Fact Trade Drives Turnaround Tuesday

The big news in commodity markets Tuesday was USDA’s confirmation that China purchased nearly 800 KMT of soybeans from the U.S. on Monday. That news was corroborated by news stories saying China booked over 20 cargoes from the PNW and Gulf with basis levels rising in both locations as if...

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From WPI Consulting

Infrastructure investment due diligence

On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.

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