World Perspectives
livestock

Arbitraging Energy

Food prices have increased but not as much as energy costs. The latest CPI data shows food at home increased year-on-year in April by 10.8 percent, and by even more for animal proteins. However, the cost of gasoline has jumped from $2.948/gallon in April 2021 to $4.213/gallon last month. U.S. energy costs are a third less than Japan’s, and only half as much as Germany’s. Energy is about 14 percent of U.S. agricultural production costs and likely a larger share in most countries, though it is substantially less a cost burden in Russia. Because shipping water is expensive and even more so when bunker oil prices are high, countries that produce food and extract its water using lower energy costs are more competitive in global mark...

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Market Commentary: Bear, Bear, Every Where a Bear

Today was National Poinsettia Day, a plant that is supposed to symbolize goodwill and success but that is only true for the bears today.  There was red all over Chicago and New York as investors counted their blessings of too much grain and too much risk. The only thing rising in value was...

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Summary of Futures

Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.4075/bushel, down $0.0575 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.2925/bushel, down $0.0425 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $10.7675/bushel, down $0.1675 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soymeal closed at $302.5/short ton, up...

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Export Sales

U.S. Export Sales and Shipments for the week ending Nov 13, 2025...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Bear, Bear, Every Where a Bear

Today was National Poinsettia Day, a plant that is supposed to symbolize goodwill and success but that is only true for the bears today.  There was red all over Chicago and New York as investors counted their blessings of too much grain and too much risk. The only thing rising in value was...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

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Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.4075/bushel, down $0.0575 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.2925/bushel, down $0.0425 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $10.7675/bushel, down $0.1675 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soymeal closed at $302.5/short ton, up...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Sales

U.S. Export Sales and Shipments for the week ending Nov 13, 2025...

WPI Grain Transportation Report

Dry-bulk markets were softer last week with Capesize markets seeing weaker interest from East Australia and other Pacific locales. Traders are describing spot tonnage in the Pacific as “abundant”, a mentality that is pressuring rates. Similarly, demand for C3 ex Brazil and West Afri...

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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.

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