The Market Today’s USDA August WASDE was bullish because it showed fewer soybeans, and the market reacted by shaving almost 1 percent off the November futures contract and making it an almost 2 percent reduction in soybean prices for the week. But after brutal weather in July, it was an expected story. Predicting what numbers USDA would put into its August WASDE was deemed a challenge, and it was. Few in the trade expected a yield increase and, based on the experience of the past several years, there was a good chance that expectations for yield and output would be below the USDA number. Reuter’s analyst Karen Braun did her own survey of readers and found more expecting a number that would be to the higher side of estima...
Key Takeaways: Despite rising cost pressures — including the recent run-up in fuel and energy costs — U.S. cow-calf producers are facing another year of record-breaking revenues and net returns for 2026. Cost pressures — particularly non-feed variable costs — and...
Key Market Insights Outside markets dominated today’s session. Crude oil traded below $70 per barrel, the U.S. dollar climbed to a 13-month high, and both gold and silver posted sharp declines as traders increased expectations for additional Federal Reserve rate hikes. At the same time, t...
Key Takeaways: An aging farmer population and fewer younger successors are creating growing farm succession challenges, leaving many operations without a clear future High land values and capital requirements create major barriers to farm ownership for new producers Farmland consolidation and...
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.