World Perspectives
livestock

Cow and Heifer Slaughter Second Highest in 2023

USDA released the December slaughter report yesterday, and with it cumulative data for the year. It is a good piece of preliminary data before the cattle inventory report that comes out next Friday.   The inventory report will show estimates on cows and heifers retained for breeding, as well as the supply of feeder cattle outside of feedlots which make up the supply of cattle for placements in the beginning of 2024. In that regard, the slaughter report showed that the percent of females – cows and heifers – in the total annual slaughter volume dropped from a record high last year, but still remains the second largest percent since records started in 1986. And obviously, female slaughter remained well higher than the h...

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Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.2375/bushel, down $0.03 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.2425/bushel, down $0.04 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.375/bushel, down $0.0625 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $284.7/short ton, down $1...

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Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.2375/bushel, down $0.03 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.2425/bushel, down $0.04 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.375/bushel, down $0.0625 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $284.7/short ton, down $1...

livestock

Livestock Roundup: Cattle on Feed Preview

USDA’s monthly Cattle on Feed report will be released tomorrow. Analysts’ pre-report consensus estimates are for the total inventory on feed to be 99.1 percent of last year with the range of estimates between 98.7 and 99.7 percent of 1 September 2024. Those estimates imply an on-fee...

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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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