World Perspectives
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

U.S. Situation Improves, but Shuttles Still Expensive

The key to shuttle freight values will be what the turn times are through the harvest and into the winter. The railroads were able to essentially triple their car fleet when shuttles were making roundtrips from the Dakotas to the Pacific Northwest in nine or 10 days.Poor rail service has been a factor throughout most of the last 40 years in the grain business. Railroads have always been a favorite target of politicians because it pits the perception of the poor farmer against the giant railroads. Indeed, there were lengthy periods of time when the railroads didn't perform very well and deserved political attention, but that hasn't been the case over the last decade until the past six months or so. During that extended period of "no complain...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Energies Collapse on Ceasefire News but Grains Reclaim Early Losses

Once again, Trump, Iran, and the Middle East were the hub around which the CBOT trade revolved on Wednesday. Late Tuesday, the U.S. agreed to a two-week ceasefire agreement with Iran, just days after President Trump threatened to escalate attacks against the Middle Eastern country. In the annou...

Policy Deference; Reasserting Article I; Two-Tailed Dog; EU Imports; WTO Skepticism

Policy Deference The bilateral trade balance is a narrow way to look at the relative relationship between two countries. The government of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo is seeking to ignore its own regulations that guide the application of the General Law on Adequate and Sustainable...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

European Market Analysis

Regional News  Egypt is increasingly finding itself caught between Russia and Ukraine, in a battle for supplying its domestic wheat markets. Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, is facing political pressure and wooing from both Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Ze...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Energies Collapse on Ceasefire News but Grains Reclaim Early Losses

Once again, Trump, Iran, and the Middle East were the hub around which the CBOT trade revolved on Wednesday. Late Tuesday, the U.S. agreed to a two-week ceasefire agreement with Iran, just days after President Trump threatened to escalate attacks against the Middle Eastern country. In the annou...

Policy Deference; Reasserting Article I; Two-Tailed Dog; EU Imports; WTO Skepticism

Policy Deference The bilateral trade balance is a narrow way to look at the relative relationship between two countries. The government of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo is seeking to ignore its own regulations that guide the application of the General Law on Adequate and Sustainable...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

European Market Analysis

Regional News  Egypt is increasingly finding itself caught between Russia and Ukraine, in a battle for supplying its domestic wheat markets. Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, is facing political pressure and wooing from both Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Ze...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Black Sea Regional Analysis

Russian Grain Markets: 30 March - 3 April 2026 Market overview The Russian grains market remained broadly stable during the week, with a slightly firmer undertone. Export values were mostly steady, while the domestic market moved modestly higher. Broader geopolitical tensions had only a limited...

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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.

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