Russia is reported to have exported 24.104 MMT of grain as of 21 May 2014 and from the beginning of MY 2013/14. However, a Rusagrotrans official expects June's volume to decrease sharply as it may not be possible for traders to purchase the necessary quantities at reasonable prices. Russian Grain Market Planting Updates As of 27 May 2014, spring grain crops were planted on 26.5 million hectares (80.1 percent of the target). Included were 10.8 million hectares of spring wheat (82.5 percent), 7.8 million hectares of spring barley (88.7 percent) and 2.5 million hectares of spring corn (95.5 percent). Sunflower seed was planted on 6.4 million hectares (90.6 percent), spring rapeseed on 814,700 hectares (74.7 percent) and soybeans on 1.2 mill...
What You Need to Know Today: U.S. weather is getting more attention this week as conditions vary greatly across the western, central, and eastern corn belts, with the different regions battling dryness and too much rain simultaneously. The ProFarmer Crop Tour began today in Indiana and Nebrask...
Key Takeaways: Argentina is on pace for a record corn crop and record exports in the current marketing year, with abundant supplies likely to keep the country highly competitive in global export markets. Argentina’s record exportable surplus is allowing it to offer highly competitive pri...
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.