There was much for the markets to deal with today. It was the last day of September and the last day of the quarter; the drama over the Supreme Court nomination continues to play out in Washington; and there is still uncertainty over any possible shift to E15 from E10 that would increase ethanol consumption and production. Lastly, the markets were awaiting this morning’s USDA Annual Small Grains Summary and Quarterly Stocks Report. The markets were looking for a slightly bullish 1 September soybean stocks number and a bearish U.S. wheat production number. Wheat was lower overnight with corn steady and soybeans slightly firmer. That’s how we traded until the report was released at noon (EDT). The USDA numbers were bearish corn a...
Markets are caught between reasons to keep selling and reasons to take another look. Fund liquidation and renewed peace talks are pressuring grains, while fresh export business and some diesel relief offer encouragement. Corn recovered nearly 10 cents from its low to finish higher, while soybea...
Key Takeaways: President Trump announced $8 billion in additional agricultural assistance through the Harvest Fuel Relief Program, as USDA projects farm fuel and oil expenses will increase 28.8 percent in 2026. The package follows $12 billion in earlier relief, while government farm payments w...
Key Takeaways: A student group from the University of Chicago is protesting to bring back onion futures trading. Trading in onion futures was banned in 1958 following a spectacular bout of market manipulation that resulted in a corner of the physical market. The ban on onion futures led t...
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.