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...

Related Articles
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Plenty of Risk, Not Enough Conviction

Key Market Insights Markets aren’t trading fundamentals right now—they’re pricing risk. The Middle East remains the center of gravity, and the latest developments point to a situation that is not escalating—but not resolving either. That’s a difficult environment...

Functional Dysfunction; Out of the Frying Pan

Functional Dysfunction  Europe has contended that Donald Trump’s attempt to address the decades-long harm caused by Iran’s theocratic regime is “not our war.” The Continent is in an expensive energy crisis because of the Iran war, but moral angst is the only respons...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.5425/bushel, up $0.005 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Wheat closed at $6.07/bushel, down $0.0575 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.645/bushel, down $0.1 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Soymeal closed at $316.3/short ton, down $4.9 fr...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Plenty of Risk, Not Enough Conviction

Key Market Insights Markets aren’t trading fundamentals right now—they’re pricing risk. The Middle East remains the center of gravity, and the latest developments point to a situation that is not escalating—but not resolving either. That’s a difficult environment...

Functional Dysfunction; Out of the Frying Pan

Functional Dysfunction  Europe has contended that Donald Trump’s attempt to address the decades-long harm caused by Iran’s theocratic regime is “not our war.” The Continent is in an expensive energy crisis because of the Iran war, but moral angst is the only respons...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.5425/bushel, up $0.005 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Wheat closed at $6.07/bushel, down $0.0575 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.645/bushel, down $0.1 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Soymeal closed at $316.3/short ton, down $4.9 fr...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Black Sea Regional Analysis

Russian Grain Markets: 13-17 April 2026 The Russian grains market remained relatively stable during the week, pressured by ample global wheat supply, strong international competition, and a firmer ruble. To maintain competitiveness—particularly against Ukraine and Kazakhstan—the gov...

Image
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.

Search World Perspectives

Sign In to World Perspectives

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up