Booming Soybean Crush Sector, Soymeal Exports to Increase Last week was a very eventful one for the U.S. soybean crushing industry. On Monday another soybean crushing plant was announced in northwest Iowa. The plant will be built by a new company called Platinum Crush, LLC in Buena Vista country at the town of Alta, Iowa. The plant will have the capacity to crush 110,000 bushels per day or about 1.05 MMT per year. The estimated cost of the facility is $350 million. It is to be located next to the CN Railway. The planned is the fourth crush plant of similar size announced in the last two months. Others are planned for Crookston, Minnesota (120,000 bushels/day), Spiritwood, North Dakota (150,000 bushels/day), and Shell Rock, Iowa (110...
What You Need to Know Today: The corn and soybean markets closed slightly higher in low-volume trade. The wheat market was mixed, with HRW continuing its downward trek on improved moisture. As expected, the bearish cattle on feed report drove down cattle prices and pulled hogs down with it. Mi...
Monday, 25 May is a U.S. holiday, and both the markets and our office will be closed. Please note that the next issue of Ag Perspectives will be published on Tuesday, 26 May. The WPI staff wishes everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend...
USDA’s monthly cattle on feed report was released today. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity amounted to 11.6 million head, 102 percent of last year. Source: USDA, WPI Placements were up, but part of that is attributable to persistent drought c...
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.