World Perspectives
livestock

Cattle Market 2024 Retrospective and 2025 Outlook

This week marks the end of 2024, and the beginning of 2025.  Indeed, 2024 was a notable year in the cattle markets with implications to carry over into next year.  The U.S. cattle inventory entered 2024 at the lowest level since 1951, with the supply of feeder cattle outside feedlots at its lowest since the previous low in 2014, the trough of the current cattle cycle.Despite that, beef production in 2024 is estimated to be 27.035 billion pounds, which would be up from the 2023 production of 26.967 billion pounds, and well above the beginning of the year forecast of 25.99 billion pounds. Increased beef production came about from heavier slaughter weights and more time on feed, driven by cheaper feed. Also playing a role was the gro...

Related Articles
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: New Year, Same Trend - Corn and Beans Higher, Wheat Not

Corn and soybeans opened lower but quickly shifted back to positive territory. All three wheats were lower in overnight trading and pretty much traded lower all during the day session. There was good volume trading in HRW, cattle and feeders. March feeder cattle hit a new contract high. Lean ho...

livestock

Livestock Roundup: New Year Meat and Livestock Snapshot

Typically, prices for hams and the beef rib primal drop after Christmas, but this year, reduced slaughter has been more supportive of prices. What does that portend for 2025?  Cattle slaughter last week was down 29.7 percent compared to the week prior and down 13.3 percent from year-ago le...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Mar 25 Corn closed at $4.595/bushel, up $0.01 from yesterday's close. Mar 25 Wheat closed at $5.4575/bushel, down $0.0575 from yesterday's close. Mar 25 Soybeans closed at $10.12/bushel, up $0.015 from yesterday's close. Mar 25 Soymeal closed at $319.9/short ton, up $3 from yeste...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: New Year, Same Trend - Corn and Beans Higher, Wheat Not

Corn and soybeans opened lower but quickly shifted back to positive territory. All three wheats were lower in overnight trading and pretty much traded lower all during the day session. There was good volume trading in HRW, cattle and feeders. March feeder cattle hit a new contract high. Lean ho...

livestock

Livestock Roundup: New Year Meat and Livestock Snapshot

Typically, prices for hams and the beef rib primal drop after Christmas, but this year, reduced slaughter has been more supportive of prices. What does that portend for 2025?  Cattle slaughter last week was down 29.7 percent compared to the week prior and down 13.3 percent from year-ago le...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Mar 25 Corn closed at $4.595/bushel, up $0.01 from yesterday's close. Mar 25 Wheat closed at $5.4575/bushel, down $0.0575 from yesterday's close. Mar 25 Soybeans closed at $10.12/bushel, up $0.015 from yesterday's close. Mar 25 Soymeal closed at $319.9/short ton, up $3 from yeste...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Year End Rally in Corn and Beans

The day’s trading started out hum and glum. Corn and soybean contracts moved modestly like their overnight closes and stayed marginal for most of the day. Soyoil was continuing its recent mostly negative run. Wheat never went anywhere important, high or low.  Then there was a breakout late...

Image
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.

Search World Perspectives

Sign In to World Perspectives

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up