Oats are mostly a North American crop. Canada produces 72 percent of the world’s oats, and the U.S. imports 67 percent of globally traded oats. Mexico is the third largest importer after China. The latest forecast pegged the Canadian crop as the second largest on record, with a resulting increase in carryover stocks. Thus, the December futures contract for oats fell 3.8 percent this week and is expected to fall further. Still, Canadian oat prices are expected to be more profitable this year than the return on barley. While part of the crop is used for specialized animal feed, oats are viewed as beneficial to cholesterol reduction in North America and are thus popular as food. The fact that much of the rest of the world ignores...
What You Need to Know Today: President Trump claimed the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was over, as both sides accused one another of violating the terms of the agreement. Commercial vessels are increasingly steering clear of the Strait of Hormuz as security risks escalate following Iran...
Key Takeaways: The CME Group is launching new 90 percent Lean Beef and 50 percent Lean Beef futures and options contracts in July. There are five key factors that must be present in physical markets and futures contract specifications for futures contracts to become successful. The two l...
Russian Grain Markets: 29 June-3 July 2026 The new marketing season has officially begun in Russia, although bearish sentiment has been concentrated in the southern regions closest to the Black Sea ports, where export demand has been weakest. Delays in grain deliveries to inland elevators have...
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.