USDA will release its May 2019 WASDE tomorrow (10 May) at noon (EDT). While it will update U.S. and world supply/demand estimates for the current crop year cycle (as every WASDE does), the report will also provide the first serious detailed projections for the same in 2019/20. Doing so for the next year this far in advance could be called a fool’s game. The Northern Hemisphere new crop winter wheat harvest is still many weeks off with most new spring-planted crops still in the seed bag, and the Southern Hemisphere is not yet finished harvesting the current crop. Their new 2019/20 crops are months away from being planted, and that harvest is nearly a year away. Nevertheless, it is an exercise that USDA analysts engage in for every May...
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
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.