A week ago, WPI wrote about how farmers are optimistic about better markets for 2018 based on several at least somewhat positive factors. We should have waited a week. The markets changed a lot in this holiday-shortened trading week after starting the Monday evening session strong after the long weekend. That strength disappeared during the night session, however, and markets traded lower Tuesday and have been lower since. What’s interesting about the change is that much of the weakness was the result of outside market factors, including:
Fresh concerns about Italy’s upcoming elections and the economic outlook for that country, including the possibility Italy might leave the Euro Zone. Those Italian worries ca...
The corn and soy complex closed higher, with the wheat market mixed, as winter wheat closed up but spring wheat and livestock ended lower. Part of the strength for corn and soybeans may have been a weather premium, as crop planting has started out fast but warm weather has been slow to develop...
Real GDP grew at a 2 percent annual rate in the first quarter of 2026, slightly below the consensus expectation of 2.3 percent but above the 0.5 percent growth in Q4 2025. The GDP number matches the average annualized pace of growth since the peak back in late 2007, right before the Financial P...
Reflect for a moment on what you eat. There is a lot of advice out there in the ether about what you should eat, but really, what do you currently eat and how much? The good people at the USDA have some data for you, to help you answer that question. USDA says that we eat quite a bit of meat. L...
