World Perspectives

Meat Fight on the Election Menu

Meat packing has now become part of the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign. Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden declared worker conditions in these plants “inhumane and downright immoral.” Not that he has likely ever stepped into a packing plant, but his party has lost some its traditional cache with labor. Mr. Biden said he believes workers in these plants should receive a $13/hour bonus on top of their regular pay, which would mean doubling average pay and boosting meat costs by 53 percent. The multi-billionaire investment guru Warren Buffett is also calling for slaughter plant wage increases. Note that industry labor costs are significantly lower in Argentina and Brazil.  Advocacy groups are not stopping at wages, the...

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Market Commentary: Corn Bounces while Wheat, Soybeans Fall Further

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Europe; Greening; AI; Ice Cream; UPFs; Algorithms

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Summary of Futures

Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.405/bushel, up $0.04 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.0625/bushel, down $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $10.5825/bushel, down $0.045 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soymeal closed at $298.2/short ton, down $4.2...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

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Summary of Futures

Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.405/bushel, up $0.04 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.0625/bushel, down $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $10.5825/bushel, down $0.045 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soymeal closed at $298.2/short ton, down $4.2...

livestock

Livestock Industry Margins

Beef packer margins reversed sharply lower last week, swinging back into negative territory after six straight weeks of positive returns. Margins fell $145/head to –$75 as fed cattle prices rebounded $7/cwt (live basis), while the Choice cutout slipped nearly $7/cwt. The rapid compression...

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From WPI Consulting

Infrastructure investment due diligence

On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.

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