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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wheat

WASDE Wheat - Mar 2026

USDA’s outlook for 2025/26 U.S. wheat supply and use categories are unchanged from last month. Global supplies increased modestly by 0.2 million tons to 1,101.8 million and global ending stocks remain at a 5-year high. The result is that the average U.S. farm price is adjusted up modestly...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Easing But Not Ending Novelty and Risk

There were more modest volumes trading in today’s session, perhaps reflecting growing resilience and circumspection about geopolitical uncertainties. The trade has had an ample opportunity to react to the modest changes in USDA’s March WASDE report, and there is still plenty of expe...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.6025/bushel, up $0.08 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $5.9475/bushel, up $0.0375 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $12.14/bushel, up $0.1225 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $315.4/short ton, up $0.9 from...

wheat

WASDE Wheat - Mar 2026

USDA’s outlook for 2025/26 U.S. wheat supply and use categories are unchanged from last month. Global supplies increased modestly by 0.2 million tons to 1,101.8 million and global ending stocks remain at a 5-year high. The result is that the average U.S. farm price is adjusted up modestly...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Easing But Not Ending Novelty and Risk

There were more modest volumes trading in today’s session, perhaps reflecting growing resilience and circumspection about geopolitical uncertainties. The trade has had an ample opportunity to react to the modest changes in USDA’s March WASDE report, and there is still plenty of expe...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.6025/bushel, up $0.08 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $5.9475/bushel, up $0.0375 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $12.14/bushel, up $0.1225 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $315.4/short ton, up $0.9 from...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Oil Volatility Drives CBOT More than WASDE

Usually, the day USDA releases its monthly world supply and demand report – known colloquially as “WASDE day” – sees heightened volatility in CBOT ag futures. That was true again Tuesday, though there was little causal connection between the WASDE and the market’s...

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From WPI Consulting

Illuminating the value of technical research

On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.

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