World Perspectives

Dinosaurs versus Unicorns; Pesticides and Russian Gas; Unfair to Cattlemen

Dinosaurs versus Unicorns Unlike dinosaurs, unicorns are mythical creatures, except in the world of finance. Financial unicorns are privately held startup companies renowned for disrupting stodgy, status quo industries; the latter being a perfect definition of the agrifood industry. To obtain unicorn designation, companies must surpass $1 billion in value. According to CB Insights, this week marks the first time the number unicorns has topped 1,000, with their growth in numbers jumping 20 percent in just the past six months. Most of the 1,000 unicorns operate in the tech space like software, fintech and AI, or traditionally stodgy inefficient industries like healthcare, transportation, consumer retail, or auto/travel. Based on CB’s d...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.11/bushel, down $0.03 from yesterday's close.  Sep 25 Wheat closed at $5.2975/bushel, down $0.0875 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.095/bushel, down $0.02 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $276.5/short ton, down $2.8...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Weather Sinks Grain Bull Hopes; Cattle Hit All-Time Highs

The theme for this week’s grain markets seems to be that of favorable weather, big crops, and increasingly bearish sentiment. That was certainly the case Tuesday, as corn, soybeans, soymeal, and wheat all sold off amid fund and commercial selling. Several markets/contracts hit new contrac...

Trump Trade Squeezes; USDA Staff Relocation; Scale and Trade

Trump Trade Squeezes It did not help the EU’s trade negotiating position in Scotland this past Sunday when its leaders had just come from China where President Xi Jinping rebuffed their demands for rebalancing the trading relationship. China’s overcapacity causes it to dump steel, a...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.11/bushel, down $0.03 from yesterday's close.  Sep 25 Wheat closed at $5.2975/bushel, down $0.0875 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.095/bushel, down $0.02 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $276.5/short ton, down $2.8...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Weather Sinks Grain Bull Hopes; Cattle Hit All-Time Highs

The theme for this week’s grain markets seems to be that of favorable weather, big crops, and increasingly bearish sentiment. That was certainly the case Tuesday, as corn, soybeans, soymeal, and wheat all sold off amid fund and commercial selling. Several markets/contracts hit new contrac...

Trump Trade Squeezes; USDA Staff Relocation; Scale and Trade

Trump Trade Squeezes It did not help the EU’s trade negotiating position in Scotland this past Sunday when its leaders had just come from China where President Xi Jinping rebuffed their demands for rebalancing the trading relationship. China’s overcapacity causes it to dump steel, a...

U.S.-EU Trade Agreement

President Trump and EU President Ursula von der Lynen announced on Sunday that they reached an outline of a Cooperation Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair and Balanced Trade. This is the Trump Administration’s fifth agreement to date, along with the UK, Japan, Indonesia, and Vietnam, which is...

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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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