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

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.5775/bushel, up $0.02 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $6.1625/bushel, up $0.0925 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.71/bushel, up $0.1125 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $316.4/short ton, up $1.5 from...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Grains Rally on USDA Data, Hopes for End to Middle East Conflict

Except for lean hog futures, the CBOT and CME markets were higher on Tuesday in a combination of bullish factors. The day’s strength started after the Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump told aides he is willing to end hostilities in the Middle East even if the Strait of Hor...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Middle East, Mediterranean, and Africa Regional Analysis

Mediterranean/Middle East/North Africa/Africa – MEA Region Iraq’s 2026 wheat imports are seen increasing by about 8.3 percent to 2.4 million MT, according to the FAO, as a result of the 16 percent lower 2025 wheat crop — down to 4.4 MMT in 2025 from 5.2 MMT in 2024. Planting f...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.5775/bushel, up $0.02 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $6.1625/bushel, up $0.0925 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.71/bushel, up $0.1125 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $316.4/short ton, up $1.5 from...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Grains Rally on USDA Data, Hopes for End to Middle East Conflict

Except for lean hog futures, the CBOT and CME markets were higher on Tuesday in a combination of bullish factors. The day’s strength started after the Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump told aides he is willing to end hostilities in the Middle East even if the Strait of Hor...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Middle East, Mediterranean, and Africa Regional Analysis

Mediterranean/Middle East/North Africa/Africa – MEA Region Iraq’s 2026 wheat imports are seen increasing by about 8.3 percent to 2.4 million MT, according to the FAO, as a result of the 16 percent lower 2025 wheat crop — down to 4.4 MMT in 2025 from 5.2 MMT in 2024. Planting f...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

March Grain Stocks Summary

The attached PDF offers graphical depiction and analysis of the latest USDA Grain Stocks data for key commodities. The data is, of course, taken from the quarterly Grain Stocks report. WPI recently completed an expansion of the analysis and welcomes any feedback/suggestions.  ...

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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.

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