I am traveling this week in Asia for meetings with soybean processors in Korea and Thailand on behalf of the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC). Both are sizable importers of soybeans and soymeal, and Korea is a sizable and growing importer of soyoil.Considering the recent threats of war by North Korea, the mood in Seoul was quite good. There did not seem to be much concern that a war with North Korea actually would occur, and the recent threats largely have been viewed as braggadocio. Evidently the people of South Korea have become so accustomed to such period sabre-rattling and threats that they no longer pay much attention to them. That is interesting considering that much of Seoul is within range of North Korean artillery.Soybean cru...
What You Need to Know Today: Commodities were mostly lower across the board today after yesterday’s Federal Reserve meeting hinted at a potential interest rate hike later in 2026. The dollar index reached its highest level in over a year, and a strong dollar makes U.S. agricultural expor...
Tomorrow is the Juneteenth federal holiday, and the USDA, along with the rest of the federal government and the CME, will be closed, so the monthly Cattle on Feed report was released a day early. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity on 1 June amounted...
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.