World Perspectives

Christmas Eve Policy Potpourri

Ship Subsidies: The SHIPS for America Act has been introduced in the U.S. Congress and is intended to boost the number of U.S. built ships. Currently, China builds over half the world’s ships, and over 90 percent are constructed in just three countries (China, South Korea, Japan). The U.S. builds just 0.1 percent of the world’s fleet. The Jones Act requires that half of American food aid be moved on U.S. flagged vessels. This reduces the amount of food aid because more money is spent on transport. The SHIPS act would give subsidies to agricultural exporters to offset higher shipping costs.Sliver of Truth: One outcome of the Trump era is the acknowledgement that there is always a sliver of truth. Economists generally think tariffs are distor...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.2175/bushel, up $0.0375 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.2375/bushel, up $0.045 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.3375/bushel, up $0.0675 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $285.6/short ton, up $1.6 fr...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Technical Momentum Shifts at Odds with Fundamentals

The CBOT was mostly higher to start the week with technical factors driving short covering and some cautious fresh long buying. There wasn’t much from a fundamental standpoint to drive the move, but the technical picture is firming for most commodities. Corn saw substantial follow-through...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

WPI Crop Progress and Conditions App (Updated 8 September)

Update for 28 April 2025: Last year, users pointed out differences between the 5-year averages reported in this app and what USDA estimates in its weekly report. The difference exists because WPI calculates average based on the last 5 years of observations for the current week. In cases where o...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.2175/bushel, up $0.0375 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.2375/bushel, up $0.045 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.3375/bushel, up $0.0675 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $285.6/short ton, up $1.6 fr...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Technical Momentum Shifts at Odds with Fundamentals

The CBOT was mostly higher to start the week with technical factors driving short covering and some cautious fresh long buying. There wasn’t much from a fundamental standpoint to drive the move, but the technical picture is firming for most commodities. Corn saw substantial follow-through...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

WPI Crop Progress and Conditions App (Updated 8 September)

Update for 28 April 2025: Last year, users pointed out differences between the 5-year averages reported in this app and what USDA estimates in its weekly report. The difference exists because WPI calculates average based on the last 5 years of observations for the current week. In cases where o...

USG Closure; Ag Gets Special Treatment; Policy Shorts

USG Closure Congressional Democrats are debating whether they should force the U.S. government into closure at the end of this month when the budget (continuing resolution) expires. Back in March, a handful of Democratic U.S. senators joined with the Republicans in ensuring funding through 30 S...

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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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