World Perspectives
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Moral Reciprocity

President Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum imports are mostly pure protectionism. Canada, Brazil and Mexico are the main suppliers, not the state-driven over-production of China. But now the President says he is going to impose reciprocal tariffs, matching dollar for dollar (percent for percent?) what other countries impose on American products. That has the air of equity, a term Mr. Trump does not like in other contexts.   The fact that some countries have higher tariffs and others have lower tariffs is a vestige of larger historical differences between different economies. Former USTR official Mark Linscott blames Trump’s move toward reciprocal tariffs on the 30-year failure of the WTO to get its members to volu...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Good Weather Trumps Demand

Markets opened today pretty much where they ended in the overnight and pretty much stayed that way all day, which is to say in the red. And it did so pretty much across the board on lower volume. There was just not any real change in the story of impending big U.S. crops arriving on top of big...

livestock

Bullish Cattle Inventory and Cattle on Feed Reports

USDA released two key reports on the cattle market today, the Cattle on Feed report and the July Cattle Inventory report.  The Cattle Inventory report was suspended last year, so this is the first look at the cattle herd since 2023.  The nation’s cattle herd, as of 1 July, is 94...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.19/bushel, down $0.0175 from yesterday's close.  Sep 25 Wheat closed at $5.3825/bushel, down $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.21/bushel, down $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $281.6/short ton, down $1...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Good Weather Trumps Demand

Markets opened today pretty much where they ended in the overnight and pretty much stayed that way all day, which is to say in the red. And it did so pretty much across the board on lower volume. There was just not any real change in the story of impending big U.S. crops arriving on top of big...

livestock

Bullish Cattle Inventory and Cattle on Feed Reports

USDA released two key reports on the cattle market today, the Cattle on Feed report and the July Cattle Inventory report.  The Cattle Inventory report was suspended last year, so this is the first look at the cattle herd since 2023.  The nation’s cattle herd, as of 1 July, is 94...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.19/bushel, down $0.0175 from yesterday's close.  Sep 25 Wheat closed at $5.3825/bushel, down $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.21/bushel, down $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $281.6/short ton, down $1...

livestock

Cattle on Feed for July 1, 2025

U.S. Cattle on Feed is down 2 percent annually at 11.1 million head on July 1, 2025.  Placements in June totaled 1.44 million head, 8 percent below 2024. Marketings in June totaled 1.71 million head, 4 percent below 2024.  Other disappearance in June totaled 53,000 head, 7 percent bel...

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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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