Markets were weak overnight with soybeans leading prices lower, and that weakness continued into today’s session. There was some talk about soybean/corn spreading starting to occur. 2017 futures now show a ratio that would favor planting soybeans in a big way. General Comments Markets were weak overnight with soybeans leading prices lower. There didn’t seem to be any singular reason for the selling other than a huge soybean harvest still appears to be in the offing. That weakness continued into today’s session. In general, the story with the early harvest seems to remain better-than-expected soybean yields and lower-than-expected corn yields. Wet conditions continue to hamper the harvest across much of the Corn Belt and northern Plains. T...
What You Need to Know Today: The U.S. conducted “self-defense strikes” in Iran and said the two sides are “close” to negotiating a ceasefire. “Close” is a relative term, however, and even if 95 percent of the terms are agreed to, the remaining 5 percent is l...
As we reported on 19 May, China has also committed to the resumption of U.S. poultry imports from states without confirmed HPAI detections. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has updated its China export restrictions webpage to reflect that China has lifted HPAI-rel...
Key Takeaways: Brazil has been the second-largest producer of fuel ethanol globally, but almost all of it was derived from sugarcane until recently. Corn ethanol production has increased due to expanded second-crop corn production, sugarcane storage limitations, and biofuel policy. Brazil is e...
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.