Falling soymeal stocks and increasing soyoil prices, combined with inexpensive imported soybeans, have boosted Chinese crushing margins recently. U.S. soyb...
Articles
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Random Thoughts from a North Asian Wheat Conference
From China’s non-WTO compliance to “gluten free” marketing and excess shuttle-train capacity, a recent wheat conference for North Asian wheat buyers reveal...
Indian Subcontinent Regional Analysis
GOI has undertaken the task of integrating the Regulated Agriculture Market Yards, which provide pricing for farmers’ produce bought in the market yard. Th...
Implications of USDA-Projected Dairy Growth
Over the past 15 years, U.S. dairy exports have expanded more than fivefold, reaching a record $7.1 billion in 2014, and the longer-term USDA 10-year forec...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Market Commentary
After yesterday’s highly anticipated October WASDE led to futures prices ultimately sliding lower, trading volume during the overnight trading session was...
Market Commentary
Strong upward price action occurred in the grains and oilseed complex today as bullish export news outweighed the week's record-breaking supply news. Fund...
Federal Preemption Needed
Massachusetts may soon join California in dictating livestock production methods in a manner that greatly disrupts the farming industry. This is all certai...
Ag Review: Industry Insights and Outlook for Q4 2016
The Grain Industry Farmland values have been among the last to experience the impact of low commodity prices, but the downward pressure has now begun. Oils...
Wheat, Wheat Everywhere, but Not a Drop to Eat
U.S. wheat ending supplies and another record world wheat crop in 2016 are all being affected by one particular issue.The USDA quarterly stocks report rele...
The Aftermath of the October WASDE
While the October 2016 WASDE contained no fundamental surprises, it did not lack for items of interest.As noted yesterday, the October 2016 WASDE contained...
Brazil GMO Seed; Africa Led Astray; Polling Now
Brazilian Secretary of Agribusiness and International Relations Odilson Ribeiro Silva has approved the Chamber of Foreign Trade allowing the importation of...
Market Commentary
After yesterday’s highly anticipated October WASDE led to futures prices ultimately sliding lower, trading volume during the overnight trading session was...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
USDA Buying More Cheese; Trade in 2017
China’s enormous influence on the pork market is now greater than ever as USDA is projecting that the country will account for more than 25 percent of glob...
Market Commentary
After yesterday’s highly anticipated October WASDE led to futures prices ultimately sliding lower, trading volume during the overnight trading session was...
Oilseed Highlights
Yesterday’s USDA report indicates that U.S soybean exporters and processors are going to have a large supply to work with in the year ahead, and one partic...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
GI Challenge; Funding Politics
The Canada-EU Trade agreement is on the docket for discussion this week in Brussels, and the U.S. dairy industry is now reportedly preparing to chall...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
The old crop corn market remains totally quiet with a few sellers ready to trade at $0.90 over December futures for October and November and with a few cen...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
Russia's domestic prices for 3rd and 4th grade soft mililng wheat increased for the most part during 3-9 October, and 5th grade feed wheat prices dropped a...
Market Commentary
USDA’s October production and supply/demand estimates were relatively close to expectations and certainly not bullish. In the immediate wake of today's rep...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Some Pre-Report Thoughts and Other Matters
Markets are of course fixated on tomorrow’s WASDE from USDA and the updated yield and production estimates for the U.S. 2016 corn and soybean crops it will...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
High maize prices in South Africa have in turn pushed up local poultry prices, leading to an expected notable increase in poultry imports this year and an...
Oilseed Highlights
It is well known that people tend to eat higher quality diets containing more animal protein and vegoils when they migrate from farms to the cities. That h...
Ag and Energy Commodities Holding Back Mounting Inflationary Pressures
Last month the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the August update of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and it would appear that agriculture and energ...
Market Commentary
Markets did very little on this day before the release of the October WASDE. Prices traded on both sides of yesterday’s closes and mostly settled with only...
TPP More Likely; No Food Policy Election
Conventional wisdom holds that when both major presidential candidates oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), it makes congressional consideration and...
Policy and Technology
Much the way Washington and Brussels help their respective main aircraft builders, Boeing and Airbus, the EU and the U.S. subsidize their respective agricu...
Southeast Europe Regional Analysis
The wheat market in Romania and Bulgaria remains very quiet as farmers are not selling at current market prices. They are still holding a large volume of s...
October USDA Reports
The trade talk has been about better soybean and smaller corn yields than expected since these harvests got underway. The latter yield, though, would have...
China In-Country Analysis
Despite flooding in several provinces over the summer, there was a drought in Heilongjiang, the bedrock of China’s domestic soybean industry, which has imp...
Food Policy Poll
Given the growing opinion in support of regulation, perhaps the most interesting poll result was when participants were asked to rank their level of trust...
Market Commentary
Corn was mostly steady overnight, but it turned higher today and closed quite strong. The corn market still has a significant fund short position. Meanwhil...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
More Things to Keep You Up at Night
Record soybean yields and soybean markets that have held relatively strong have turned the Corn Belt (and northern Plains) farm economic outlook from grim...
Farm Program Spending Outpacing Other Entitlement Programs
USDA announced this week that more than $7 billion will be paid out in farm support payments under the new ARC and PLC programs versus approximately $5 bil...
Indian Subcontinent Regional Analysis
India's domestic oil industry had asked GOI to raise both the duty on imported oil along with the differential between the crude and refined oils duties to...
Market Commentary
Markets traded steady to fractionally higher overnight in very light volume. Today saw a consolidation type of trading ahead of the weekend and before next...
Trade Adjustment; Marshmallows; Chem Attack
One U.S. agency's review of restrictions on a particular herbicide and state action regarding chemical spraying ultimately signal that food security...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Harvesting Cash from Naiveté
By awakening consumers to the mundanity of the food business, one food critic and his ilk have spawned new Big Ag profits with meaningless but profitable p...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Oilseed Highlights
Reports of very high soybean yields across the Midwest continue. However, it also is clear that many farmers saw substantial losses this year because of a...
Comeback from Avian Flu; Hogs and Pigs; FSIS Label Guidance
The two commodity sectors impacted by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have made a comeback. Meanwhile, USDA’s FSIS has released a guidance documen...
An Anniversary of Sorts
Much has happened in the 20 years that have passed since the first genetically modified (GM) soybean crop was harvested in commercial quantities by U.S. fa...
Market Commentary
Once again, overnight trade in grain and soy futures was characterized by low volume and limited price movement. The day session found more selling pressur...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Market Commentary
Grain and soy markets were mixed overnight in slow trade. Prices traded both sides of yesterday’s closes but never moved very far from them. However, the d...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
There were almost no soybean trades in Argentina this past week. Demand has been showing up mostly for November and December in search of cheap offers. How...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
Ukraine's milling wheat market was rather stable last week. Domestic traders’ bids grew because of rather active demand, mainly in the bottom segment, to $...
Cold War in Economics
In the post-Cold War through pre-Great Recession timeframe, the Western “neoliberal consensus” for economic policy took over the world like a tsunami. Now...
China Risks Relations; Future of China Relations
China seeks treatment as a market economy, and yet its top-down policies such as the Textile Industry Development Plan reveal the extent to which it will t...
Oilseed Highlights
The government of Argentina yesterday announced the soybean export tax will not be reduced by 5 percent as promised on 1 January due to financial difficult...
Trump’s Trade Policy: A Tax Increase
A white paper with a detailed breakdown of Donald Trump’s economic plan was released last Thursday by two of his campaign’s senior economic policy advisors...
Market Commentary
Corn futures prices were buoyed by the market’s ability to once again trade and close above the $3.43 technical support level for December corn. Meanwhile,...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
While the recent ergot issue in Egypt appears to be resolved, the government's announcement this past week regarding changes to the origin and destination...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
A Snapshot of the U.S. Wheat Outlook
For the past several years, the U.S. wheat supply/demand outlook and U.S. wheat prices did not mean a great deal to the world market. Cheaper wheat was ava...
China In-Country Analysis
With the Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival in close proximity and the National Day scheduled to run through the first week of October, market data has been limit...
Low Substance; Fig Leaf; Labels; GMO Embargo
In hopes of spurring support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), some U.S. agriculture groups highlight the fact that the EU is continuing to negotiat...
Upon Further Review
The 30 September USDA quarterly stocks reports didn’t contain any hidden bullish or bearish news for the corn and soybean markets. However, there a few iss...
Pressure on the Biodiesel Tax Credit
At the moment, there is political inertia on a tax extender package. In part, this is because last year’s Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act ad...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Southeast Europe Regional Analysis
The wheat market in Romania and Bulgaria is extremely quiet. No trades have been reported in recent weeks except for one Moroccan tender as farmers are unw...
Market Commentary
While markets were steady overnight in light volume trade, corn and soybean markets started to firm at today’s opening. Wheat, on the other hand, couldn’t...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Indian Subcontinent Regional Analysis
At the start of the wheat season, it was thought in India that international prices could rise if large volumes of wheat were to be imported. That has not...
USDA Quarterly Stocks Report
The September WASDE soybean ending supply estimate was 195 million bushels, and the trade was looking at today’s stocks number to see if carry-in soybean s...
Market Commentary
Markets were mixed to lower overnight in light trading volume. Wheat and corn opened lower this morning ahead of the USDA reports, but the soy complex star...
Corn Fight; Leverage; Aggie at EPA
African countries attending a conference this past week in Washington on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) pushed back on a U.S. suggestion tha...
Crop Insurance Worries for Wheat
The RMA employs the FN rating to reduce the APH yields used for crop insurance policies. This year’s problem with the FN scores is in addition to the low y...
Market Commentary
Trading ahead of tomorrow’s USDA reports produced mixed results. Those reports coincide with the end of the quarter for noncommercial-managed funds, a time...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Odds and Ends
The eve of another important report from USDA, namely tomorrow’s 1 September quarterly stocks plus the final small grain production summaries, presents a g...
New Trade Policy; Stop the Pests
In a critique of U.S. trade policy, Congressman Sander Levin (D-Michigan) correctly asserts that the public perception problem with trade will not go away...
Hogs and Pigs Report; Cold Storage
USDA will release its quarterly Hogs and Pigs report tomorrow. If expectations bear out, slaughter capacity could become very tight in November and Decembe...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
Although the Russian grain market continued to follow the trends of the previous week, there were two new influencing factors. Meanwhile, an analysis of 20...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
Argentina's soybeans showed some movement this week in the new crop market with one cargo traded at +43 SN for a 15 April position. Meanwhile, Brazil...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Fracking and Farming; Wasted Effort; Megafarms
Opponents key in on two or three generalized arguments against it, but there are dozens of specific outcomes of the TPP that are better than the status quo...
Market Commentary
Crude oil’s excitement of today did not spill over into grain or soy complex markets. Meanwhile, soybean export sales totaling 343,000 MT and the reports o...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Oilseed Highlights
The U.S. soybean harvest has been delayed by heavy rains, and the key states affected include North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and South Dakota. Wh...
Wheat’s Struggles
Historically small wheat acreage should result in sharply reduced production, which would seem likely to help lower burdensome wheat supplies for 2017/18...
Market Commentary
Corn futures prices traded lower early to near a multi-week low and then recovered to finish with a gain of a couple of cents. The day’s trading range was...
Urban Pastoralization; Healthy Labeling
In an effort to get more concrete poured on top of soil, the U.S. has had rural development subsidies for decades, and now there will be the opposite, urba...
From the Campaign Trail
Last night’s first presidential debate of the general election campaign did not include any mention of agriculture or agricultural policy – as was to be ex...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
Kenya reports that local maize and maize meal prices are dropping slightly as the local harvest has boosted supplies. However, maize imports are still need...
China In-Country Analysis
The estimated nationwide soymeal inventory totaled 512,000 MT as of 23 September, down 40,000 MT (-7.26 percent) from the week before and 467,200 MT lower...
More Things to Keep You Up at Night
Shuttle rail secondary market values have been rising for weeks and are now trading at a $1,000-2,000/car premium to tariff for October and November. They...
What the Fed Likely Will Do
Although the Fed did not increase interest rates at its last meeting, just as it hasn’t since December 2015, certain factors suggest a rate hike will very...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Abenomics; Trump Deficit; CAP Conflict
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe introduced today his envisioned economic policy. It is mostly a rehash of prior commitments but now with a $277 billion...
Market Commentary
Corn steadily lost ground today on fund selling and some expectations that farmers will have to sell some bushels as the corn harvest starts to gain some m...
Brinksmanship on the FY 2017 Continuing Resolution
Emergency funding for the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, has now bogged down the CR and is leading to the political brinksmanship in Congress. However, a...
DDGS Duties; Rulemaking; Fat; Debate
The announcement that Beijing will impose a 33.8 percent antidumping duty on imports of DDGS from the U.S. was not a surprise, although there is also anoth...
Oilseed Highlights
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang jointly announced yesterday in Ottawa that the two countries have reached an agreemen...
Market Commentary
Markets were weak overnight with soybeans leading prices lower, and that weakness continued into today’s session. There was some talk about soybean/corn sp...
Indian Subcontinent Regional Analysis
The first advance estimates for India’s 2016/17 kharif production have been released, and they indicate a bumper crop this year. However, the trade believe...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Weather Still a Factor
It has been an interesting year in crop weather - to say the least - and somewhat ironic that instead of hot, dry weather being the problem around the worl...
Chinese Ban on U.S. Beef Update; Cattle on Feed; Lawsuit against Chicken Producers
The dynamics between fed cattle marketings and placements are analyzed with their implications for next quarters' beef demand and pricing. Feedlot turnover...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
U.S. Export Pace Substantially Higher Than Last Year
Only when examining the actual numbers can the magnitude of the increase in soybean, corn and wheat export sales from last year be realized. However, there...
Market Commentary
Markets firmed during the overnight session following yesterday’s mild sell-off. November soybeans finished the overnight session up 3¾ cents as tropical o...
Bee Sting; Africa; USDA Leadership
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack reportedly recommended that his successor be a former governor. It is an understandable intuitive viewpoint, but not one held up...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
The Argentine soybean market mostly continued in the pattern set the previous week with old crop offers at $1.25 over November futures. However, new crop o...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
The Russian Grain Union president has noted a specific currency change as a contributing factor to the country strengthening its position as one of t...
Misdirected Blame; Reap What’s Sown
The UN adopted a declaration calling for all nations to address the problem of rising antibiotic resistance, and agriculture got fingered heavily. However,...
Market Commentary
Corn traded a narrow range today before settling a half-cent to a penny lower. New fundamental news is hard to come by at this point, and today’s weak acti...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Oilseed Highlights
The aquaculture sector has long relied heavily on fish meal as a prime source of protein in its feeds. The supply is decreasing, however, so it will need t...
Winter Wheat Crop Revenue Insurance Prices
U.S. producers can participate in a crop revenue insurance program, Crop Revenue Coverage (CRC), with premiums subsidized by the federal government. Now th...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Market Commentary
Strong buying occurred in soybeans today with the November contract closing up 17¼ cents today. Both soymeal and soyoil offered early support as did higher...
Monetary Policy and Farm Income
The overall economy is ready for a federal funds rate hike, which will be an impact on farm income that is already down with crop prices and debt that is s...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
The fallout from Egypt's new zero ergot standard for wheat continues with no offers for its recent tenders and confusion regarding shipments purchased unde...
Blame Game; Unsolicited Advice
A provision in the 2014 Farm Bill requires the U.S. EPA to create an advisory committee of agricultural specialists to advise the agency’s scientists befor...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
China In-Country Analysis
Although U.S. corn exports to China saw a modest uptick in July at a total 59,078 MT with FOB port departure value of $9.65 million after consecutive month...
Southeast Europe Regional Analysis
While the Ukrainian feed wheat price lost about $12 during the past three weeks, the market in Bulgaria and Romania showed a different price change as a re...
Mergers and Opposition
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) hosts a hearing tomorrow on the proposed mergers occurring right now in the agribusiness sector...
Short-Term CR Moving Forward In Senate
Federal government funding is approaching a crucial deadline with the current fiscal year ending on 30 September, and the Senate is expected to pass a CR t...
Market Commentary
Soybean futures led the charge higher overnight on follow-through buying after last Friday’s strong closes. Corn then faced a problem similar to soybeans’...
Durum Production Big, But There Is a Problem
Canada is expected to harvest a record durum crop of nearly 7 MMT while the U.S. crop is the biggest in years at 2.5 MMT. However, a certain issue wi...
Dubious Wisdom; Trumped-Up Problem; Misinterpretation
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is like most government bureaucracies in that it is slow-moving and over-reaching. However, Donald Trump’s call thi...
Indian Subcontinent Regional Analysis
High prices of pulses, the main vegetable protein for Indians, have led to higher wholesale and retail inflation. This has prompted GOI to enact certain me...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
El Nino/La Nina? Not So Fast
The headline story of last spring and shortly thereafter was the record-strong El Nino and its potential impact on North American crop production this summ...
Market Commentary
Markets were mostly lower overnight on relatively light volume. When today’s session opened, however, funds then embarked on a buying program in corn and s...
Ag Mergers Impact Washington’s K Street
Lower crop prices and farm income together with pressure for new products are leading to a wave of consolidation in the ag sector. One of the little-discus...
Oilseed Highlights
The General Court of the European Union today issued a ruling on the EU’s anti-dumping duties on biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia, and this c...
Market Commentary
Grain and soy prices firmed a bit overnight as trading volume improved from the low levels of the past two days. After trading resumed in the day session,...
WASDE; Dairy Herd Culling Settlement; EU Pork Production
While U.S. pork production for 2016 is reduced on expectations of slightly lower carcass weights for the third quarter, there is a different scenario in th...
Mergers and Acquisitions
Yesterday’s announcement that Bayer AG was acquiring Monsanto has set off a firestorm of mostly critical reaction. However, there is a key motivator behind...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Cost of Free IP; Bear Market Strategies
The United Nations High Level Panel on Access to Medicines released its report this week advising that like poor countries, middle-income countries should...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
Buyers returned to the Brazilian soybean market after a prolonged, especially quiet period. February shipments traded several times at $1.54-1.55 over Marc...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
Ukraine's domestic sunflower seed prices increased mainly due to devaluation of the national currency. Meanwhile, domestic rapeseed prices rose as buyers c...
Europe Falls Hard; Ag and WRDA
Nowhere is the lower farm income issue being more contentiously discussed than in Europe. Politicians are expressing outrage over the spread between farm g...
Market Commentary
Finally, the market seems to have absorbed whatever implications it has drawn from Monday’s WASDE and USDA’s updated predictions of U.S. corn and soybean y...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
A recent GMO report notes that only three countries in Sub-Saharan Africa allow biotech crops, although eight other African countries are conducting fields...
Oilseed Highlights
The focus now shifts to harvesting the huge U.S. soybean crop. Efforts are already underway in the Dakotas, but it will be two to three weeks before...
A Few Thoughts from the WASDE
By the time the September WASDE was released yesterday, the trade’s pre-report consensus had coalesced. It had USDA’s corn estimates accurately pegged and...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Congressional CR Decisions Looming
With the government fiscal year ending on 30 September, the timing is clear as to when a CR must be passed, although the length of its duration is not. The...
Trump, Ag and Trade
Trump campaign representatives spoke today to a packed room of agricultural group representatives. While there was insistence that farming would be treated...
Market Commentary
Overnight trade saw prices ease lower, led by soybeans. With no changes in the U.S. wheat supply/demand, wheat futures prices looked to the other markets f...
Southeast Europe Regional Analysis
While the Russian 12.5 pro wheat is the cheapest origin (for similar quality) for the next few months, there are certain other origins that may displace it...
Dodd-Frank and Agricultural Credit
The Dodd-Frank Act was signed in 2010 after the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Its purpose was to protect consumers and the stability of the financial system,...
Mixed USDA Reports
USDA did not make a single change to the U.S. wheat supply and demand numbers. It did, however, adjust production estimates for India, Kazakhstan, Au...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
China In-Country Analysis
China’s estimated soymeal inventory totaled 606,900 MT as of 9 September, down 104,400 MT from the week before and significantly lower than a year ago. Mea...
Market Commentary
The trade expected the soybean yield to be raised, but USDA spooked the market by boosting it almost a full 2 bushels/acre, but there was a different surpr...
Formers on Trade; Bogus Solutions; Clean and Messy Labels
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) pooled together four former U.S. Trade Representatives (USTRs) to discuss American interest in th...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Indian Subcontinent Regional Analysis
In response to an appeal for approval, a subcommittee of India's Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee has issued its findings regarding the...
Think Tanks Calls for Privatizing Federal Ag Risk Management
The market-oriented think tank Heritage Foundation yesterday issued a special report, which provides a number of policy recommendations geared toward ...
Ag Perspectives Readers’ Yield Expectations
A survey of Ag Perspectives readers suggests likely corn yield reductions and more upside potential for soybean yields in the September WASDE report.Record...
Deceptive Marketing; Trump versus Clinton; Japanese Rice
Public opinion polling sponsored by the Center for Food Integrity shows the number of consumer believing the food system to be headed in the right directio...
Another USDA Report
USDA will release its monthly WASDE (supply/demand) estimates and another round of corn and soybean crop production estimates on 12 September. However, the...
Market Commentary
Markets were quietly mixed overnight with little fresh news ahead of the weekend and the 12 September USDA reports. U.S. equity markets were sharply lower...
The Official Export Numbers
As interesting and important as export sales and export inspection data from USDA/FAS and FGIS may be, they are not the last word on the volume of corn, wh...
Heifer Slaughter Higher in July; Red Meat Exports
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) today released the July beef and pork export volumes and values, which are totaled from USDA statistics. Beef expor...
Market Commentary
Markets moved higher by baby steps overnight, helped by the weaker U.S. dollar as well as Chinese soybean imports from all origins that totaled 7.7 MMT dur...
Oilseed Highlights
The average forecast of analysts queried by Reuters is for Brazil to produce a record 103.1 MMT of soybeans in 2017. This is clearly a possibility if the c...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
TPP Uncertainty; Disrupting Obesity; EU Insurance
Governments continue to be attracted to one-off tax schemes in an effort to fight the obesity epidemic and concurrently increase the budget coffer for poli...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
Argentina’s soybean exports remain very quiet with old crop cargoes still offered by just one or two players at $1.35 over November for spot position. Mean...
Market Commentary
Overnight trade saw generally higher prices for grains and the soy complex. The gains were modest in corn and wheat but more robust for soybeans and soymea...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Disease Imports; G20 Misses; GMO Blog; Efficiency
G20 leaders meeting in China had several interesting conclusions about the global situation, but what really needs addressing are the unfair aspects of tra...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
While Ukraine's milling wheat prices stopped rising because of the global market direction and milling rye prices remained stable, the general trend can be...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Cow Flatulence Tax; Complex Food Marketing
Despite the bulk of all feed grains being grown in the Midwest, California has managed to dominate the nation’s dairy production. However, the state legisl...
Market Commentary
After the long holiday weekend, the overnight session saw a moderate volume of trading. The day session saw wheat and corn prices holding on either side of...
Oilseed Highlights
The government of China wants to reduce the country's corn production and stocks as well as the volume of soybean imports. Its goal is to raise soybean pla...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
Researchers at Saudi Arabia’s KAUST University announced that they have identified a gene in barley that may increase yields in crops subjected to certain...
Supply and Demand
Four years of big crops in the U.S. and the world have brought some economic pain for farmers in the form of prices that, in many cases, are below the cost...
Positive but Slow Economic Growth with Pressure on Ag and Food
The recent Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reports indicate growth, although slow, for the economy overall. There is still considerable pressure on t...
More Things to Keep You Up at Night
The giant corn and soybean harvests looming coupled with unprofitable low prices are creating a marketing dilemma for Corn Belt farmers. They are searching...
Transatlantic Mess; Views on Trade; Good Old Dayz
France is hosting a meeting of EU members to discuss the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and how it can better respond to the current supply/demand imbala...
Corn and Presidential Elections
Yesterday was the beginning of the new corn marketing year, and a recent analysis indicates the direction of corn prices after 1 September seems to have a...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Market Commentary
Markets were firm overnight with soybean futures trading as much as 10-11 cents higher. There was then more follow-through buying in the corn market today...
Indian Subcontinent Regional Analysis
It is the end of the corn season, and India does not have any surplus of stocks despite farmers increasing the planted area in response to market developme...
Oilseed Highlights
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has achieved a small measure of success regarding the issue of China changing its foreign material limit for canola...
Free Trade Cycles
Support for free trade has ebbed and flowed in cycles that frequently track the ups and downs of national economies. Nearly every political leader is in fa...
Policy Change; Hate Answer; FarmTech; Coup
Thus far, activist groups such as Plate of the Union have been unable to achieve any kind of presidential candidate focus on U.S. food policy. Meanwhile, t...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Market Commentary
It is a new month today, and fund selling of the grains slackened, which allowed some price recovery overnight. This recovery carried over into the day ses...
North American Hogs and Pigs Inventory; Cash Receipts; Robotics
A cattle and sheep herding robot is being tested by the Australian Centre for Field Robotics. While the current model is more likely to replace herding dog...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
Russia has revised its grain harvest forecast and is also considering a change regarding grain exports after a discussion during proceedings of the Russian...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
The next few weeks will likely be marked with Brazilian corn buyers turning to Argentina for December and March shipments, and Argentine premiums will sure...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Market Commentary
Overnight trading saw soybean prices open higher on a rebound, then slip lower under more selling pressure while the grains hung on to trade marginally on...
New Year’s Eve for U.S. Corn and Soybeans
31 August is effectively New Year’s Eve for U.S. corn and soybeans as their 2016/17 crop year officially begins tomorrow. While it is doubtful that many in...
Rule by Irrational Mobs
Anti-GMOers want social or ethical concerns to be a consideration in biotech regulatory decision-making. However, this constitutes a slippery slope given t...
Oilseed Highlights
Argentina’s major farm organizations fear new legislation that the government plans to introduce next month regarding royalties on biotech soybean seed. Fa...
California Ag Overtime: A Budding National Issue?
The California minimum wage issue will, predictably, have broader economic impacts. The alarming development, however, is that this is becoming a national...
Yellow Charges; TTIP and Europe; No Problem
Anti-free trade campaigners attacked the pending EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) by arguing it would lower food safety standards. P...
Market Commentary
Grain and soy complex futures prices tried to stabilize overnight after Monday’s beatdown, and there were expectations for some sort of “Turnaround Tuesday...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
Egypt's ergot problem continues with its ever-changing tolerance level. The latest edict conflicts with the FAO determiniation of an acceptable limit for t...
China In-Country Analysis
Recent reports have documented a decline in China's corn plantings, and new soybean plantings there are also decreasing as is farmers’ willingness to...
Where Will the Cash Flow Be Found?
Farmers are trapped in an uncomfortable dilemma. Selling the remaining old crop bushels or more unsold new crop production at current prices will generate...
Get Ready for Wheat Market Volatility
Recent analysis by WPI suggests the U.S. wheat market is poised for volatility in the coming months. A study of proprietary prices shows the increasing spr...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
The Deficit and Rising Farm Spending
As farm and commodity groups seek additional financial assistance for the remainder of this year and start to focus on the upcoming farm bill next year, bu...
Market Commentary
Markets started quietly Sunday evening. While analysts thought corn would find some support after the Pro Farmer crop tour released a corn yield estimate b...
Self-Imposed Limits on Policymakers
Governments should not crush the populist appeals of dissenters, but they must find a better way of responding to them. At minimum, this means achieving gr...
Flatliners
While it’s easy to sit back now and wonder how markets could collapse so far so quickly, the fact is (was) that a full-blown summer drought wasn’t needed t...
TPP Officially Dead; Slippery Slope; Energy Crops
Beef cattle catch a lot of grief for their land and water requirements, but a recent USDA analysis shows them to be a relative energy bargain. TPP Official...
Tax Extenders for Renewables in the U.S. and Brazil
The biodiesel tax credit will expire in December if not renewed. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) has proposed legislation, co-sponsored by 13 other senator...
Indian Subcontinent Regional Analysis
Prime Minister Modi recently assessed the Ethanol Blending Program (EBP) for India and wants 10 percent of the output made available across the country. Ho...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Market Commentary
Quiet and slightly firmer overnight trade turned into a rout mid-morning today when wheat and soybean futures broke some key technical support and plunged...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Market Commentary
With the Pro Farmer crop tour finding higher pod counts than last year and Chinese soybean buyers hiding, traders started to unwind soybean/grain spreads i...
Naturally Dumb; Trade Policy Frustration
The term “natural” is not defined by the U.S. FDA for its use in labeling food products, and companies are increasingly being challenged in court by litiga...
Does It Matter How Big is Big?
It seems that there is a greater-than-usual fascination with the question of what the 2016 U.S. corn and soybean yields will ultimately turn out to be, whi...
Oilseed Highlights
Monsanto's withdrawal of its application to sell Bollgard II Roundup Ready Flex cottonseed in India is said to be due to a new government-proposed requirem...
Dairy Policy, Politics and the Cheese Market
Dairy policy has always been highly politicized from Lyndon Johnson’s time in the Senate in the 1950s right up through this week as USDA announced a major...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
Milling wheat bids at the UBS ports increased in UAH expression to $164-172/MT CPT-port (3rd and 4th grade), and export offers grew to $164-174/MT.&n...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
Given Argentina's soybean export duty situation, trading houses are taking different strategies for the coming campaign. Several recent sales would be inte...
Unintended Consequences: Labor; GMO-Free; Terrorism
Some are calling it scaremongering by Angela Merkel’s government, but her latest civil defense policy is likely welcome news for agriculture. Automation Pu...
Market Commentary
Overnight trade featured low volume and lower prices, including new contract lows for Chicago wheat. That theme carried over into the day session with soyb...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
The ”smart-card” system in Egypt for subsidized food, including bread, is being moved to the control of the military production agency from the ministry of...
Canadian Crop Production Estimates
Weather problems have taken the edge off yield potential for some of Canada's spring-sown crops, particularly one. There is also another element that canno...
Post-Brexit Ag Policy; Tech Attracts Youth
Aging farmers and the myth that we’ll run out of them continues to be a media favorite story. The latest involves worry over attracting young people to the...
Market Commentary
Grain and soy markets started out weaker in overnight trade and continued to trade red numbers throughout the day session in a relatively subdued manner. M...
USDA’s Role in Foreign Acquisition Review
Yesterday CIFUS reportedly sanctioned the proposed purchase of Syngenta by ChemChina. The acquisition is controversial and has sparked opposition from a wi...
Oilseed Highlights
Brazilian fertilizer companies are being challenged this year by a shortage of trucks amidst rising demand. This has driven up the cost of transporting the...
Southeast Europe Regional Analysis
At today’s prices, the Russian 12.5 pro wheat is about $15 cheaper than the German wheat and approximately $20 less than U.S. HRW on FOB basis. For Decembe...
Trade Policy Holes; Anti-GM Religion; Just Lying
Activists opposed to conventional food and agriculture often step over the line, but one has finally been caught. Trade Policy to Address Industrial Policy...
U.S. Corn Yields – A New Record or a 2010 Surprise?
USDA forecast a record U.S. 2016 corn yield of 175.1 bushels/acre on 12 August and a record crop that will exceed 15 billion bushels (385 MMT) for the firs...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
A Look at U.S. Crude Oil Exports Six Months After Ban Lifted
The U.S. lifted its decades-long ban on crude oil exports in December 2015. Prior to the ban, they had essentially only been allowed to Canada with two exc...
China In-Country Analysis
China’s estimated domestic soymeal inventory unexpectedly declined by 50,000 MT (-5.88 percent) last week to 800,000 MT, driven mainly by two factors. Now...
Market Commentary
Funds were selling wheat again today and had reportedly sold more than 7,000 contracts of Chicago wheat by noon. Meanwhile, soybean and soymeal futures tur...
Wheat – Burdensome Feed Quality versus Tight Milling Quality
2016 will be another big wheat production year. The question will be how quality wheat separates itself from the voluminous amount of feed wheat, but there...
Russia Slammed; Bear Market Policy
The populist National Farmers Union (NFU) has now provided some ideas on how to address the economic fallout of a long-run bear market. Russia Slam...
Market Commentary
Soybean futures were weaker again overnight with the November contract dipping below $10. Meanwhile, corn and wheat were mostly steady overnight but turned...
Indian Subcontinent Regional Analysis
Considering how difficult it currently is to cull/sell cows in India as there is likely to be a clash of ideologies with the Hindu lobbies, farmers in some...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
EPA Did Not Comply With RFS Assessment Obligations
Yesterday the U.S. EPA’s Office of the Inspector General released its report on a review to determine if the agency complied with the statutory repor...
Bear M&A; Ag Policy Ahead
Bear markets always spur more mergers and acquisitions as firms scramble to find savings and survive. Several are currently underway, and members of Congre...
Market Commentary
Grain and soy complex prices mostly traded lower in overnight action as the technically overbought Malaysian palm oil market corrected from yesterday’s big...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Supply and Demand
It is not at all unusual to find a period of time in a single crop cycle when the supply side appears dominant and another when demand seems to take over...
Brazil versus U.S. in Meat Production; Cattle on Feed
Last month's feeder calf placements data points to a changing supply situation for the beef market next quarter. Similarly, feedlots' fed cattle marketings...
Oilseed Highlights
India has sharply boosted its soyoil imports this year as its vegetable oil refiners have a reason to prefer those stocks over palm oil. Reaching USDA Fore...
Market Commentary
After a rather tentative overnight session, CME grain and soy complex futures put together a rally during the day session in which consistency was more imp...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
Last year, Brazilian soybeans were able to compete against U.S. origin through December, and even January showed some exports. That will not be the c...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
A downward trend still dominated most of the Russian grain market, although the prices for feed barley and corn were unchanged. Meanwhile, there is a dispu...
Government Math; Pocket Change; GM Beats Neonicotinoids
Collateral damage to non-target species by pesticides should come as no surprise. What is surprising is that the superiority of genetic modification as a p...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Oilseed Highlights
The National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) yesterday released its July monthly soybean crush report, which indicated a drop in volume versus the pr...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
Kenya will begin a two-season GM maize testing program in October. The hope is that the biotech variety will be found to be superior to the current maize s...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Market Commentary
The overnight session saw two-sided trade in reduced volume. While volume improved somewhat during the day session, price action remained indecisive. Fund...
Ethanol Production Capacity Increases for Third Year
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), domestic fuel ethanol production capacity has increased for the third consecutive year in 20...
Corn Market Conundrum
Despite the very high weekly corn crop condition ratings that persist even though they should begin a seasonal drop, there appears to be widespread skeptic...
Blockchain Disruption; TPP Strategy; Trump Aggies
Big banks are racing furiously under the assumption that blockchain technology is going to undermine the need for their role in ensuring the integrity of f...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Is It Real or Is It Memorex?
Most people won’t remember the “Is it real or is it Memorex?” slogan. With soybean futures finishing today up to 27 cents higher, though, some are wonderin...
Court Rules EPA Pesticide Review Must Move Ahead
A three-judge panel from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals chastised the U.S. EPA once again last Friday for a string of delays in taking action on a requ...
Policy Conundrum; Extraterritorial; High Prices
There is great frustration on the part of some that the adverse impacts of the food system fail to garner more political attention in a major election year...
Southeast Europe Regional Analysis
Saudi Arabia bought 640,000 MT of hard wheat for October/November at prices equivalent to about $196-198 FOB. The cheapest origins were Germany, Poland and...
China In-Country Analysis
As China's per capita income has boomed, the dining habits of young professionals have changed dramatically. Consequently, demand for high quality flour ha...
Market Commentary
Agricultural markets opened steady to a fraction lower Sunday night, but soybean futures were trading good gains within the first hour. The buying across t...
Will Checkoff Programs Be Reformed in the Farm Bill?
Commodity checkoff programs, also known as research and promotion programs, have been the center of controversy in the last few years. As to be expected, w...
Bearish USDA Reports
Today’s USDA reports were bearish at first glance. However, the picture for soybeans looks much more bullish when factoring record demand against reduced o...
Indian Subcontinent Regional Analysis
GOI may not be able to procure the volume of ethanol required to meet its Ethanol Blending Program (EBP) mandate of a 10 percent blend in all gasoline used...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
WASDE Farm Bill Impacts; Russia Loses; TPP Movement; Barriers
Today’s WASDE report from USDA may have been bearish for the commodity markets, but it was bullish for the farm spending component of the next farm bill. W...
Market Commentary
Markets were calm overnight in anticipation of today’s USDA WASDE, which is how today’s session started. Corn had new contract lows before the reports were...
Ag Review: Aquaculture's Global Appeal
The Aquaculture Juggernaut Despite efforts by antagonists to end fish farming, its efficiency will keep it the dominant animal protein production methodolo...
Market Commentary
Grain and soy markets traded rather quietly on both sides of Wednesday’s closes overnight, but action picked up during the day session, at least in terms o...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Ag Hypocrisy; TTIP Potential Squandered
Neither the political left nor right possesses a monopoly on hypocrisy, but today’s example involves Iowa agribusiness owner Bruce Ratstetter, who is...
Oilseed Highlights
Argentina's oilseed processors want the country to grow more soybeans so that they can increase their capacity utilization. The country currently has about...
The Looming EU Wheat Futures Battle
Euronext’s Paris wheat futures could be considered a far better and more logical proxy for the world wheat market than Chicago wheat futures. The CME Group...
A Look at Cattle Herd Rebuilding
Among market watchers, there is now a great deal of prognostication about the pace of the cattle herd rebuilding amidst positive beef demand signs that can...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
Traders' domestic milling wheat bids in Ukraine kept growing, possibly due to rising export prices. Prices at the UBS ports prices continued to increase as...
Market Commentary
The overnight session featured stronger soybean and soy product prices with subdued trading of corn and wheat on both sides of Tuesday’s closes. However, t...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
Argentina’s new crop soybean market was active again this week. Two CNF cargoes were traded at $110 and $106 over the July CBOT contract, and one FOB cargo...
PC Marketing; Flunking Science
NGOs in the United Kingdom are complaining to officials because food companies are predominantly marketing snack foods and drinks (“junk food”) during the...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
Recent analysis of maize cereals and flour in Tanzania have shown very high levels of aflatoxin, but the government claims a different cause of the reporte...
Oilseed Highlights
Indonesia’s palm oil stocks fell 8.2 percent to 1.8 MMT in June from 1.96 MMT at the end of May. That was the sixth straight month that they have declined,...
U.S. Farm Production Expenditures Down in 2015
Total farm production expenditures were estimated at $362.8 billion for the year, an 8.8 percent decrease from $397.6 billion in 2014 that was driven by se...
Indigenously Natural; Best Commodity Policy
Today was the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, which basically praised these subgroups for their disengagement from the world. The whol...
Booming Export Demand
The June data shows that the trend toward larger U.S. exports is already underway, but current export sales volumes for 2016/17 provide a way to add some q...
Market Commentary
Grain and soy prices were mildly lower in overnight trading with volume no better than average. During the day session, trading in corn and wheat was a two...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
China In-Country Analysis
The sizable spread between China’s domestic wholesale pork price and foreign-produced pork, which went as high as RMB 26.74/kg ($4.02/kg) in Shanghai this...
Milking the System; Orwellian Policy; Killer Trade
Canada will extend and make permanent a program that enables dairy processors to obtain domestic milk at world market prices, which are well below the guar...
Report Week
Virtually everyone involved to any extent in corn and soybean markets is anticipating that USDA will boost those yield estimates, chiefly for two reasons...
Farmland Economics
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has released its annual survey results on farmland values and cash rents, which indicate some change...
Southeast Europe Regional Analysis
The prospects for limited exports out of France are increasing demand for Black Sea wheat as well as other origins. There was one unusual trade involving t...
Market Commentary
Soybeans, corn and wheat opened better than expected Sunday evening, and volume overnight was fairly strong in all three markets .USDA's announced sale of...
More Things to Keep You Up at Night
The surge in corn and soybean export demand is elevating shuttle freight values as well. However, this is not a positive development for some. Meanwhile, t...
CME Announces More Changes for Cattle Futures
Today’s announcement included news that the CME will add a seasonal discount on live cattle tendered to one delivery location for the October contract (onl...
Indian Subcontinent Regional Analysis
As India’s inability to import non-GM corn from international markets continues, high input and low output prices as well as other issues over the past few...
Farm Policy Risk; Trade Policy Risk
With the increasing attention in Washington on income inequality, any focus in the future on what parts of agriculture have money and assets while concurre...
Market Commentary
USDA announced additional soybean export sales this morning, which pushed soybean futures as much as 20-22 cents higher early in today’s session. Corn stru...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Speculative Position Limits – Again
Like the proverbial bad penny, the issues raised by the CFTC’s proposals to establish limits on the size of speculative positions held in derivative market...
Market Commentary
Grain and soy contracts once again tried to stage a rally overnight and then early in the day session. Meanwhile, the corn market is continually weighed do...
Domestic Meat Consumption Up; Beef Trade Deal with Brazil
Domestic meat consumption in the U.S. is back on the rise with several factors all contributing to lower prices. Last year and 2013 were the on...
Late Complaint; Ganges Food; Darwin Eaters
Now that a WTO dispute settlement panel is forcing India to allow imports of American poultry products, the nation’s chicken farmers are nervous. Their rep...
Oilseed Highlights
It could be assumed that sustainability would not be much of an issue in the developing countries of Southeast Asia. However, there are European firms with...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
Despite Argentina's high premiums, Brazilian buyers procured corn at $130 over the December contract for delivery in October and November. A large concern...
Market Commentary
Like corn, soybean futures contracts spent most of today’s trade posting green numbers. November soybeans were up as much as 13 cents at the day’s high bef...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
Grain prices on the Russian market continued to decrease overall, more significantly when expressed in USD since the ruble has weakened so much over the pa...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
A Few Comments Upon Entering August
While grain and soy markets seem to slow down in August during some years, 2016 may not be such a time as there is so much going on of potential importance...
Ag Perspectives Readers’ Corn Yield Forecast
A survey of Ag Perspectives readers suggests the 2016 U.S. corn yield will exceed both 2014’s record and current USDA projections.What will the 2016 U.S. c...
Market Commentary
The overnight trade saw wheat prices edge higher while corn and soybeans drifted lower on yesterday’s fancy crop condition ratings. Trading volume was a bi...
Sweet is Sweet; Inequality
Although income inequality was heightened by the Great Recession and has statistically tempered, it remains a major policy concern. The outcome of research...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
Egypt’s wheat inspection committee announced that its initial investigation shows a small portion of the government’s local wheat purchases cannot be locat...
Oilseed Highlights
China's Agriculture Minister Han Changfu has announced government plans regarding future corn plantings that could have an impact on the country's soybean...
North American Carbon Reduction: A Tale of Two Nations
A carbon tax was the concept behind President Obama’s cap and trade proposal that was ultimately abandoned early in his first term. In Canada, meanwhile, E...
China In-Country Analysis
In an effort to reduce China's swelling inventory of imported soybeans, crushing facilities steadily boosted their utilization rates throughout July. Howev...
Productivity; People; Marketing
Like Europe, U.S. use of inputs like fertilizer slowed as genetics and technology increased in their role in production. The difference is that U.S. agricu...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Farm Income Problems and What to Do
Low prices and weak or no profits are spurring a resurgence in marketing interest among farmers, and there are several steps that each can take.There have...
Market Commentary
The soy complex opened weaker than expected Sunday evening and really never looked back last night or today. November futures were down as much as 44-45 ce...
Impact of Presidential Race on Senate and Committees
Now that the major parties’ nominating-conventions are over, the presidential campaign enters its home stretch, a 100-day sprint to the finish. One o...
Indian Subcontinent Regional Analysis
India's sugar prices are expected to remain volatile as its area under sugarcane is down approximately 4 percent for 2016/17. Sugar is priced at $540/MT on...
Market Commentary
While corn is sitting at or near contract lows and wheat was lifeless again today, the soybean market received a lift from another round of export sales an...
Bitter Labeling; U.S. Election and Economy
The recently enacted GMO labeling law may cause a bitter rift in one U.S. industry if USDA uses its discretion and determines that products containing suga...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
ARC Program in Search of New Yield Data
The American Soybean Association (ASA) just completed its July board meeting, and it is urging USDA to provide an administrative fix to the 2014 Farm Bill...
More Concerns About the Farm Economy
The price collapse during July has again started to highlight some concerns about the state of the U.S. farm economy, but there is one bright spot.The pric...
Oilseed Highlights
Compared with 2014/15, this year’s volume of U.S. soymeal exports has not been very good. However, it would be even worse if not for the big increase to tw...
The Best of All Worlds
2016/17 is shaping up to be a far different and better year for producers, handlers, transporters, processors and exporters of the major U.S. row crops tha...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Trade Strategy; China’s Feed Market
China’s imports of DDGS were up nearly 20 percent in June but still down 75 percent compared to the first of last year. They should be higher based on the...
Mexican Beef Imports Increase – Don’t Tell Trump!
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has proposed renegotiating NAFTA and other existing trade deals. His motivation is based on a belief that a co...
Market Commentary
After trading slightly higher overnight, soybean futures prices gave way to a milder weather outlook and less than overwhelming weekly export sales data. T...
Market Commentary
Grain and soy markets traded in better volume overnight with mixed results. Soybeans were firmer, but the grains held unchanged to slightly lower. Soon aft...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
Domestic milling wheat bids quoted by traders in Ukraine grew due to the slowdown in harvesting caused by rain as well as the low share of milling wheat in...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
The Brazilian soybean market has been reactivated for new crop. Fueled by the drop in CBOT soybean prices, buyers have been showing significant interest, a...
Industrial Challenge; GMO Contrasts; Cuban Mirage; TPP Death
The two major U.S. presidential candidates, Clinton and Trump, could not kill the prospects for a lame-duck vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Looking Ahead to the August WASDE
One feature during July has been the consistency of USDA’s weekly crop condition ratings for corn and soybeans. There is already considerable discussion ab...
EU Fast-Track; Glyphosate Review; Gastro-Defamation
A post-Brexit revolt by member states has forced Brussels into conceding a ratification process to national parliaments on the Canada-EU Trade Agreement (C...
Market Commentary
The U.S. wheat futures market was reacting to a 4.50 euro decline in the spot Paris wheat futures contract after several days of price appreciation. The so...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
Silo owners in Egypt are reportedly protesting that the committee tasked with investigating the government's local wheat purchases is totally incompetent...
Reducing Food Waste: Will It Impact Commodity Markets?
USDA and the EPA have targeted a 50 percent reduction in food waste by 2030, which is about 4.75 billion pounds (2.375 MMT) annually for the next 14 years...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Oilseed Highlights
It has been Vietnam’s rapidly increasing demand for pork, poultry meat and farm-raised fish that has driven the quick growth in demand for soymeal, corn an...
Southeast Europe Regional Analysis
The French market will be very volatile in the coming days/weeks under the influence of the reported yields and quality as the harvest progresses to the no...
China In-Country Analysis
An analysis of the Dalian monthly data for June compared with that from May shows that the markets for soybeans, corn and related products are experiencing...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
More Things to Keep You Up at Night
Now that weather has faded from the market screens, there are other items to discuss. Among a few to start the week are shuttle train values, U.S. winter w...
Market Commentary
The soy complex was again under fairly heavy selling pressure to start this week. Meanwhile, corn had a narrow trading range today. Funds have liquidated t...
Veep Versus Veep on Agriculture
The two major party presidential candidates have now named their running mates, and both have distinct records as well as positions regarding agriculture.B...
Wrath for China; Convention Education; Trade not Harmful
Washington is known for lobbying, but the quadrennial U.S. political conventions are equally ripe targets for those trying to influence future policy direc...
Funds Give Up on a Weather Market
The spring rally in the soy complex, which dragged corn and wheat along, fit nicely into the La Nina weather scenario. Funds were very early to jump on tha...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Indian Subcontinent Regional Analysis
Early this month, the United States sought trade sanctions against India after winning a dispute at the WTO regarding restrictions on imports of its poultr...
Ethanol Hits Record Output
Ethanol output jumped last week by 25,000 barrels per day (bpd) to a weekly average of 1.03 million bpd, setting a record for the second consecutive...
Market Commentary
Funds were still holding fairly large long positions in soybean and soymeal futures, but they were heavy sellers in both today. Corn withstood that onslaug...
Bad Food for College
Canadian journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell has written some awesome books about life’s dynamics, but his latest correlation may be half-baked...
Tales from Export Sales
This week's Export Sales report from USDA offers insight into the grain market's likely price pattern going forward. Based on historic export patterns, U.S...
Market Commentary
It was a two-sided and rather quiet market, both during overnight trading and again during the day session. However, that is not to say there was no price...
China Drives Pork Expansion
While pork exports are down 6 percent from last year based on slower slaughter, those to China and Hong Kong increased notably during January-May with addi...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
China Non-Market; SPS Cost; Cost of Non-GMO
The U.S. is hoping to negotiate with China on supply controls regarding steel and other products when the G-20 meets in September. Meanwhile, the EU says t...
Oilseed Highlights
Today’s USDA export sales report indicated last week was good for U.S. soy. The sales suggest the U.S. will have excellent exports through the remainder of...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
Russia's domestic grain prices dropped as they traditionally do at this time of year, supported by a higher average yield at this time, although corn price...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
All ports in Argentina are facing logistic challenges that stem from Monday’s strike by two popular trucker unions. Meanwhile, traders there are debating w...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Market Commentary
The overnight session started with a halfhearted effort by grain and soy futures markets to recover from yesterday’s beatdown. Trade was on both sides of T...
Stall and BS; China Hot Seat
The U.S. and India began talks to resolve a dispute over poultry trade before Washington imposes $450 million in retaliation. However, prospects are not go...
Oilseed Highlights
There is no question of a potential decrease in China’s soybean imports next year due to several factors, including a change in its price support program f...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
13 African nations met in Tanzania to discuss ways of controlling aflatoxin, mainly with maize and groundnuts (peanuts). Much time was focused on the succe...
Market Commentary
After soy and corn prices recovered yesterday from deep early losses to close solidly higher, markets were unprepared for the unexpected rains and milder p...
Ag Plank of the Republican Platform
Yesterday was the opening day of the Republican convention in Cleveland. Delegates there adopted the party’s latest platform, which included some highlight...
Is the Wheat Outlook Changing?
The wheat market has been immersed in such a bearish mentality for so long that it almost seems to have become a permanent condition. However, there are so...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Platform Jiu-Jitsu; Precautionary Kills
The Republicans struggled with writing the trade-related provisions of this year’s convention platform. That is because their presidential candidate is les...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Southeast Europe Regional Analysis
The Algerian OAIC bought 400,000 MT of EU wheat, paying around $198/MT CNF. Algeria is traditionally a captive market for French origin, but the French exp...
Egg Market Volatility
In less than one year’s time, eggs have moved from record-high prices due to the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) to the lowest prices...
Massaging GIs; Entertainment, Not Policy
The latest Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations reportedly made progress in several areas, except on Brussels’ demand for Geo...
The Curious State of Wheat
There hasn’t been any positive or bullish news around the wheat markets for a very long time. Despite what appears to be overwhelmingly bearish U.S. and wo...
China In-Country Analysis
China’s estimated soymeal inventories continued to climb nationwide last week, rising another 80,000 MT to a total 800,000 MT. Several factors caused this...
Market Commentary
Markets opened lower Sunday evening with soybeans again leading the markets down. November soybeans traded as much as 24 cents lower overnight on continued...
Indian Subcontinent Regional Analysis
As India's domestic corn price remains higher than those on the world market, the country's 2016/17 corn tariff-rate quota (TRQ) of 500,000 MT was announce...
Weather and Yield Cushions
It is now at the mid-point of the growing season, and weather has been quite good. However, extended forecasts suggest a potential threat to yield cushions...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Does Monetary Policy Matter Anymore?
The conventional wisdom of the past eight years has been that without central bank action, the crisis of 2008-09 would have turned into a global depression...
Market Commentary
To say that weather markets are unpredictable is to state the obvious, but today’s whipsaw price action carried that to an extreme. Soybean futures prices...
UK Upper hand; R versus D on Ag
The two major U.S. political parties generally find ways to take polarizing positions on everything, and that includes agriculture. UK Upper hand The Frenc...
The Next New Guessing Game
Weather market is a term most applicable during times when prices are driven primarily by fear of what an extended period of adverse weather conditions mig...
Oilseed Highlights
Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and 12 others yesterday introduced legislation that would extend the current $1/gallon biodiesel tax...
Cage-Free Massachusetts
The Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) has proposed a ballot initiative for this November’s election in Massachusetts, which was approved by the state’s Sup...
Market Commentary
Soybean futures prices were hammered into big losses when hints of improved weather prospects sent long positioned traders running for cover. Today’s volat...
TTIP Wall; GMO Happy; Dumbing Quality
EU officials have expressed frustration that their U.S. counterparts have been unwilling to match their market access offers for advancing the Transatlanti...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
A downward trend continued to dominate the Ukrainian milling wheat market last week and also spread to corn. The main reasons for this were the growing off...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
The rapid increase in Argentine corn export premiums continues as they climb to the mid-90s for August-October shipment. Typically, fast-rising premiums le...
Fresh on Brexit; Ordering up Food
Venezuela's civilian leadership has tried vilifying the private sector food system, but that tactic failed to address shortages and food inflation. The per...
Market Commentary
Yesterday’s post-report rally continued in overnight trading with grains and the soy complex all posting gains. That same pattern continued again during th...
Free Trade in Ag
The Heritage Foundation, a free-market think tank in Washington, DC, released a paper yesterday, “Promoting Free Trade in Agriculture,” which is part of th...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
Zimbabwe and Malawi are both expected to suffer a notable drop in this year's maize production. The deficit will be very difficult to source from neighbori...
Market Commentary
Today’s market action, particularly the late soybean rally, has more to do with the potentially adverse weather outlook than anything contained in the July...
The July WASDE
USDA's July WASDE was released at midday, which included updates to its U.S. and world supply/demand estimates for 2015/16 and revisions to its proje...
Oilseed Highlights
USDA’s WASDE report of today further tightened the soybean supply situation by boosting exports. It also raised its forecasts for soybean exports and crush...
China In-Country Analysis
Given that four state-owned enterprises are the primary producers of ethanol in China, the government has appeared to throw them a lifeline by allowing the...
Trade Policy Wall; Clinton versus Trump
Trade negotiations are going to be stuck for quite a while, and yet the status quo is an unfavorable situation. Trade Policy Wall TTIP: This week Brussels...
Closing Futures Prices
Today's grain, oilseed, cattle and hog prices...
Southeast Europe Regional Analysis
The Black Sea milling wheat market is under pressure as the harvest is progressing rapidly under favorable weather. It has dropped approximately $20 in abo...
Ag Review: Trade, the Election, and the Future
Trade, the Election and the Future Renegotiating trade agreements and improving citizen understanding are necessary public policy goals. The Importance of...
USDA July Report Preview
Tomorrow’s corn numbers will almost have to be bearish. Meanwhile, the soybean outlook has clearly changed from a fundamental perspective after the world a...
Market Commentary
The extended weather forecast pushed soybean futures sharply higher to start the Sunday evening session. Corn and wheat were very reluctant followers, and...
Veep Speculation: GOP and Democratic Selections Pending Soon
Speculation over who presumptive presidential nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will pick as running mates is heating up as their respective party-...