Funds appeared to have covered what they want to of their short positions in the grains complex, which left corn, soybeans and wheat to drift lower into the close today. The hog market, however, was apparently optimistic about a trade war resolution and jumped to near-limit gains. Clearly, much of the trade is still hoping for a trade war resolution from the pending G20 meetings, but whether that happens is simply unpredictable. The weekly Export Sales report was bearish wheat and neutral/bearish soybeans while retaining a slightly bullish feel for corn. Sales have slowed in recent weeks as foreign currencies fall against the U.S. dollar. For corn, the presence of Ukraine’s corn crop on the world market is an added competitive...
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.