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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Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.41/bushel, down $0.03 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $5.71/bushel, down $0.035 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.7575/bushel, up $0.105 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $331.8/short ton, up $14.2 from...

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Market Commentary: Conflicting Factors Equals Mixed Day

There are so many conflicting narratives between war and peace, rain and drought, hopes and fears, that it was a mixed day of trading on Friday, and a mixed outcome for the week.  For today, corn suffered its sixth lower day in the past seven trading sessions. There was high volume in soyb...

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Inflation Ramps Up on Energy and Food Away from Home

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the March Consumer Price Index (CPI) today, showing that it rose 0.9 percent, seasonally adjusted, month over month, after being up 0.3 percent in February, and rose 3.3 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted.  Energy was the...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.41/bushel, down $0.03 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $5.71/bushel, down $0.035 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.7575/bushel, up $0.105 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $331.8/short ton, up $14.2 from...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Conflicting Factors Equals Mixed Day

There are so many conflicting narratives between war and peace, rain and drought, hopes and fears, that it was a mixed day of trading on Friday, and a mixed outcome for the week.  For today, corn suffered its sixth lower day in the past seven trading sessions. There was high volume in soyb...

energy

Inflation Ramps Up on Energy and Food Away from Home

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the March Consumer Price Index (CPI) today, showing that it rose 0.9 percent, seasonally adjusted, month over month, after being up 0.3 percent in February, and rose 3.3 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted.  Energy was the...

wheat

Wheat’s Fall from Grace

Buried in the many mountains of USDA data last week was the March 2026 Prospective Plantings report. There you will find one specific figure among the many that was a record: USDA’s lowest ever prospective plantings estimate for wheat. It was not a surprise. U.S. wheat plantings and harve...

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From WPI Consulting

Weighing in on strategic realignment

WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.

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