World Perspectives
livestock

Cattle Herd Rebuilding and Beef on Dairy Breeding

Pasture conditions are deteriorating as 2023 comes to a close and the grazing season closes out. This has potential implications for the rebuilding of the cattle herd. As of 15 October, conditions have improved over the last three years, but are not back to pre-drought levels. Going into the winter without sufficient forage is clearly an obstacle to herd expansion – and the reason why beef cow slaughter peaked in Q4 in all but six of the last 50 years. How much it peaks is something to watch this year.

One positive is that hay supplies are up. Production in 2023 is up 10 percent for alfalfa and 8.1 percent for other hay. But the bigger question with beef cattle herd rebuilding leads to question about the structure of the cow calf s...

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livestock

Livestock Industry Margins

Beef packer margins reversed sharply to -$17/head from $120/head the prior week, as rising fed cattle prices more than offset a modest decline in the Choice cutout. Fed cattle prices increased $12.92/cwt from the prior week while the cutout slipped $3.24/cwt, compressing gross margins and pushi...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: The Long-Run Draws Near

The CBOT markets were surprisingly insulated from a jump in crude oil that started the week. Crude oil futures rallied to $115/brl - their highest levels since the earliest days of the U.S.-Iran war - on rhetoric from the White House that signaled an escalation in the conflict. While the oil he...

Farmland Consolidation

Under the theory of economies of scale, the size of farms, like that of all industries, should increase over time due to improvements in productivity. Farmers themselves understand that the more land they farm, the greater their output and, thus, the larger their potential incomes. Government p...

livestock

Livestock Industry Margins

Beef packer margins reversed sharply to -$17/head from $120/head the prior week, as rising fed cattle prices more than offset a modest decline in the Choice cutout. Fed cattle prices increased $12.92/cwt from the prior week while the cutout slipped $3.24/cwt, compressing gross margins and pushi...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: The Long-Run Draws Near

The CBOT markets were surprisingly insulated from a jump in crude oil that started the week. Crude oil futures rallied to $115/brl - their highest levels since the earliest days of the U.S.-Iran war - on rhetoric from the White House that signaled an escalation in the conflict. While the oil he...

Farmland Consolidation

Under the theory of economies of scale, the size of farms, like that of all industries, should increase over time due to improvements in productivity. Farmers themselves understand that the more land they farm, the greater their output and, thus, the larger their potential incomes. Government p...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.54/bushel, up $0.0175 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $5.9525/bushel, down $0.03 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.6675/bushel, up $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $316.6/short ton, up $1.4 fro...

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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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