Year-to date-pork production is down from expectations, and chicken production is off to a fast start. Where’s the Pork? Pork packer margins have dropped precipitously from 1 January to date as the chart below shows, based mostly on the increase in hog prices as cutout values have remained steady to slightly up.This is somewhat curious as the swine herd has been large and growing, and prices should be more bearish than on the bullish trend they have been exhibiting. The following table details the 1 December Hogs and Pigs Report. Slaughter in the first eight weeks of this year should be right in the midst of the 50-119 pound weight category of pigs on 1 December, which the table shows was up 4 percent over last year.However, the higher in...
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...
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...
Let’s return briefly to the fake meat hype cycle, now sitting somewhere in a dusty corner of your mind, not entirely forgotten. What happened to all those products, known as plant-based alternative proteins? They were supposed to be as good as real meat—cheaper, more environmentally...
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.