World Perspectives

No Political Hack; Goals versus the Market; Technicalities

No Political Hack The U.S. Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Dr. Julie Callahan to become the U.S. agricultural trade ambassador. The appointment is notable because Callahan does not come from Capitol Hill or other warrens of political expediency when it comes to powerful jobs. She has slogged it out mostly as a competitive civil servant in various agencies. Her STEM background makes her more technically proficient than most, but she is concurrently approachable, a powerful combination that that USTR Jamison Greer clearly recognized.  U.S. senators have a lot of angst over Trump trade policy and particularly how it impacts their farmers. Callahan’s responses were adroit.  On China, she said the U.S...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.34/bushel, up $0.02 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.3225/bushel, up $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $10.945/bushel, down $0.0075 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $308.7/short ton, up $2.2 from...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Grains Consolidate while Soymeal Runs Higher and Cattle Firm

The lingering effects of trade agreements and now-confirmed export rumors were the primary drivers of the CBOT’s action on Wednesday. Tuesday’s rumors of China buying some U.S. soybeans ahead of the trade talks with the U.S. on Thursday were confirmed by Reuters and Bloomberg. The m...

FOB Prices and Freight Rates App (Updated 29 October)

WPI Grain Prices and Freight Rate App Note: you can also visit the app directly by clicking here. Supplemental Information The section below offers a concise view of the options available in the current version of the WPI FOB Price and Freight Rate app, along with a short “How To”...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.34/bushel, up $0.02 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.3225/bushel, up $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $10.945/bushel, down $0.0075 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $308.7/short ton, up $2.2 from...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Grains Consolidate while Soymeal Runs Higher and Cattle Firm

The lingering effects of trade agreements and now-confirmed export rumors were the primary drivers of the CBOT’s action on Wednesday. Tuesday’s rumors of China buying some U.S. soybeans ahead of the trade talks with the U.S. on Thursday were confirmed by Reuters and Bloomberg. The m...

FOB Prices and Freight Rates App (Updated 29 October)

WPI Grain Prices and Freight Rate App Note: you can also visit the app directly by clicking here. Supplemental Information The section below offers a concise view of the options available in the current version of the WPI FOB Price and Freight Rate app, along with a short “How To”...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Grains Extend Trade-Deal Rally; Cattle Pullback Continues

The CBOT saw continued support and speculative buying from hopes for the upcoming U.S.-China Presidential meeting in South Korea on Thursday and from the recent trade deals with Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia. The price-depressive effects of the 2025 trade war(s) need no introduction fo...

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From WPI Consulting

Illuminating the value of technical research

On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.

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