The government is back in session today, which did not impress the grains markets. Overnight trade was mixed with grains lower and the soy complex gained on Argentine weather concerns. By mid-day, however, the CBOT board was red with corn, wheat, and the soy complex lower. The livestock complex was lower early in the day before mid-day buying lifted cattle futures. Outside markets are generally higher as of this writing, with the S&P 500 and the Dow up 8 and 14 points, respectively. The CBOE’s VIX is slightly lower at 10.78 while the Dollar Index is flat after early-day losses. COMEX gold is slightly higher as it consolidates near the top of its recent trading range. Crude oil futures are roughly $1.25/barrel higher with WT...
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.