World Perspectives
farm-inputs

War on Energy and Food

While the price of Brent crude is up 12 percent since Friday, fertilizer has increased 33 percent. Fertilizer values are priced to energy but now seem to be outpacing it. Crop nutrients have been hit by a trifecta of higher energy input costs, soaring demand and low supplies. Agricultural commodity futures were limit up again today and Canada’s Nutrien sees a prolonged disruption due to the war. Together, Russia and Belarus produce nearly 33 percent of global potash, Russia is the world’s top exporter of nitrogen, and it exports 12.7 percent of all phosphates. Moscow could short the market further if it so chooses. Because fertilizer represents 15 percent of production costs, U.S. fertilizer use per acre has declined as farmers...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Sales

Export Sales and Shipments for May 16-22, 2025. Wheat: Net sales reductions of 128,800 metric tons (MT) for 2024/2025 were up noticeably from the previous week, but down noticeably from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 501,200 MT were up 14 percent from the previous week and 12 per...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Jul 25 Corn closed at $4.44/bushel, down $0.03 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Wheat closed at $5.34/bushel, up $0 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Soybeans closed at $10.4175/bushel, down $0.1 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Soymeal closed at $296.3/short ton, down $0.1 from yest...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Bears Rule Mostly; Rain and Sunshine Make Grain

Wheat and pigs were the day’s winners, with much of the rest of the contracts bleeding red. President Trump’s war of words with China added some negative energy on the day. It was similar for the week with HRS and hogs adding value, and soymeal higher by a miniscule fraction, but th...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Sales

Export Sales and Shipments for May 16-22, 2025. Wheat: Net sales reductions of 128,800 metric tons (MT) for 2024/2025 were up noticeably from the previous week, but down noticeably from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 501,200 MT were up 14 percent from the previous week and 12 per...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Jul 25 Corn closed at $4.44/bushel, down $0.03 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Wheat closed at $5.34/bushel, up $0 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Soybeans closed at $10.4175/bushel, down $0.1 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Soymeal closed at $296.3/short ton, down $0.1 from yest...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Bears Rule Mostly; Rain and Sunshine Make Grain

Wheat and pigs were the day’s winners, with much of the rest of the contracts bleeding red. President Trump’s war of words with China added some negative energy on the day. It was similar for the week with HRS and hogs adding value, and soymeal higher by a miniscule fraction, but th...

Sorting Through Tariffs

On 2 April, President Trump announced the U.S. will impose a minimum baseline of 10 percent tariffs on all imported goods into the U.S. as well as higher reciprocal tariffs on exporting countries that impose tariffs on U.S. goods. Countries that will see tariffs higher than the baseline 10 perc...

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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.

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