World Perspectives
livestock

Livestock Industry Margins

The livestock packing sector saw mixed trends in profitability over the past week with packer margins improving for both the beef and pork sectors. Beef packing margins have been negative for five weeks now and hog packing margins in the red for three weeks, both of which present a threat to prices for cattle and hogs. Forward-looking placement margins for feedlots and wean-to-finish producers turned higher on stronger expected/hedged sale prices and, in the case of feedlots, lower feeder cattle costs. Note that farrow-to-finish margins at farrowing hit a new four-year high at $39/head last week. In contrast, closeout margins (e.g., profits on last week’s sales) deteriorates for the feedlot industry and farrow-to-finish and wean-to-finish h...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Sales

Export Sales and Shipments for February 27-March 5, 2026.  Wheat: Net sales of 455,400 metric tons (MT) for 2025/2026 were up noticeably from the previous week and up 49 percent from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 432,000 MT were up 24 percent from the previous week, but dow...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.625/bushel, up $0.0225 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $5.985/bushel, up $0.0375 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $12.2725/bushel, up $0.1325 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $320.2/short ton, up $4.8 fro...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Energy Volatility Sets the Tone for Commodities

Key Market Developments Crude oil has been the architect behind the violent price swings seen across the grain markets over the last four trading sessions. Corn, soybeans, and wheat have been trading almost as a mirror to crude oil, with speculative capital moving rapidly between markets as ene...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Sales

Export Sales and Shipments for February 27-March 5, 2026.  Wheat: Net sales of 455,400 metric tons (MT) for 2025/2026 were up noticeably from the previous week and up 49 percent from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 432,000 MT were up 24 percent from the previous week, but dow...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.625/bushel, up $0.0225 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $5.985/bushel, up $0.0375 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $12.2725/bushel, up $0.1325 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $320.2/short ton, up $4.8 fro...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Energy Volatility Sets the Tone for Commodities

Key Market Developments Crude oil has been the architect behind the violent price swings seen across the grain markets over the last four trading sessions. Corn, soybeans, and wheat have been trading almost as a mirror to crude oil, with speculative capital moving rapidly between markets as ene...

livestock

Livestock Round Up: CPI Overview

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the February Consumer Price Index (CPI) yesterday. During February, the CPI for all items increased by 0.3 percent and was up 2.4 percent year over year. The categories of shelter, food, and energy were the major contributors to February inflation...

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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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