Grains traded a quiet, mixed session while cattle futures moved sharply higher ahead of this week’s fundamental reports. Hog futures, of course, put in new contract lows (again) amid continued uncertainty about pork demand. The Midwest weather remains favorable for crop development with cooler temperatures expected in the next 6-10 days along with above-average moisture for southwestern portions of the Corn Belt. Given reports of mixed field conditions around the country, combined with NASS’ condition ratings decline Monday, there is increasing doubt that U.S. corn and soybean yields will break record again. However, there is no doubt they will be ample and U.S. supplies will not likely suffer a shortfall. Wall Str...
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.