It was a day of cautiously trading the fundamentals ahead of the May WASDE. Corn and soybeans headed higher in modest volume while the wheat markets were mixed. Cattle futures continue to reflect growing late-summer supply expectations while buyer interest in feeder cattle is flagging. The hog market posted a strong rally today on higher cash values. Outside the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reported Argentina is in talks with the IMF to obtain a loan in effort to stop the dramatic slide in its currency in recent weeks. U.S. stock equities are lower as of this writing as volatility continues to reign. The Dow is off 114 points (one-half of one percent) while the S&P 500 is down a similar percentage. The CBOE VIX index is u...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The big news in the cattle markets yesterday was Tyson Foods’ move to close two more beef plants. One of them, the Joslin, Illinois, plant was shuttered immediately after the announcement. The other, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a case-ready plant that does not slaughter cattle. Tyson also...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...
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.