World Perspectives
feed-grains

El Niño Sparks Corn Demand

Corn production in Sub-Saharan Africa has been volatile for decades but when technology and investment should have been making it less so, it has instead gotten worse.  This year’s El Niño has helped make a bad situation worse. USAID’s Famine Early Warning System Network identified the problem many months ago when rainfall during December- February, the normally peak precipitation months, was underwhelming. The agency predicted “crisis level” food aid requirements in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar.  South Africa has had to import white corn for the first time since 2017, and Zambia’s corn crop was down by 50 percent and could require 1 MMT in imports. The situation could rev...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Mixed Day but a Hot CoF Report After the Close

The fundamentals are unchanged but there is a cloud overhead due to the impending tariff war and the headwinds that portends. So, the market today and all week is a matter of treading water until more definitive cues emerge. In fact, today was so mixed that soybeans and soyoil fell even as typi...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 25 Corn closed at $4.6425/bushel, down $0.0475 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Wheat closed at $5.5825/bushel, up $0.01 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Soybeans closed at $10.0975/bushel, down $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Soymeal closed at $300.3/short ton, up $3.2...

FOB Prices and Freight Rates App (Updated 21 March)

Transportation and Freight Market Comments - 21 March 2025 By Matt Herrington Dry-Bulk Ocean Freight WPI is hearing market chatter early on Friday, 21 March that there is some discussion about a six-month delay on the implementation of USTR’s Section 301 port fees for Chinese vessels. WPI...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Mixed Day but a Hot CoF Report After the Close

The fundamentals are unchanged but there is a cloud overhead due to the impending tariff war and the headwinds that portends. So, the market today and all week is a matter of treading water until more definitive cues emerge. In fact, today was so mixed that soybeans and soyoil fell even as typi...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 25 Corn closed at $4.6425/bushel, down $0.0475 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Wheat closed at $5.5825/bushel, up $0.01 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Soybeans closed at $10.0975/bushel, down $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Soymeal closed at $300.3/short ton, up $3.2...

FOB Prices and Freight Rates App (Updated 21 March)

Transportation and Freight Market Comments - 21 March 2025 By Matt Herrington Dry-Bulk Ocean Freight WPI is hearing market chatter early on Friday, 21 March that there is some discussion about a six-month delay on the implementation of USTR’s Section 301 port fees for Chinese vessels. WPI...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Export Sales, Weather Mix the Markets

Wheat was the ball and chain while corn was the balloon in today’s trading. The weekly USDA Export Sales report from USDA was notable for wheat with washouts in old crop sales leading to a marketing year low, but new crop sales going blockbuster as Guatemala, Mexico and Panama all sought...

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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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