World Perspectives
livestock

Cow-Calf Profitability Improves, Indicates Herd Rebuilding

Southern Plains cow-calf producers’ financial outlook continues to improve with the recent gains in feeder cattle prices and overall weakness in feed costs so far in 2025. Returns on an inflation-adjusted basis remain below those of 2014 and 2015, but recent gains in expected profits suggest those old records could soon fall. The improved profitability suggests producers will be expanding the beef cow herd and retaining heifers this fall, with beef heifers retained for breeding expected to increase 6 percent from 2024. 2025 Outlook U.S. cow-calf producers continue to see record-breaking market conditions that are creating excellent opportunities for operations to see record or near-record profits again this year. As will be no surpris...

Related Articles
livestock

LH 2025 and 2026 Cattle Outlook Challenging for Packers, Favorable for Producers

The biggest question in the cattle and beef markets lately has been “when does the rally stop?” after beef values and fed and feeder cattle prices have all rallied to new all-time highs (beef prices if one ignores the brief rally during the COVID-19 plant closures). The fundamental...

WPI Transportation Report

Dry Bulk Markets The Capesize market is up more than 80 percent from last week’s report due to greatly improved iron ore demand in the Atlantic. There has been a notable increase in inquiries for vessels from Brazil and West Africa for the August/LH September time frame. Additionally, Aus...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Sales

Export Sales and Shipments for July 4-10, 2025.  Wheat: Net sales of 494,400 metric tons (MT) for 2025/2026 were down 13 percent from the previous week, but up 8 percent from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 432,900 MT were down 3 percent from the previous week, but up 7 perce...

livestock

LH 2025 and 2026 Cattle Outlook Challenging for Packers, Favorable for Producers

The biggest question in the cattle and beef markets lately has been “when does the rally stop?” after beef values and fed and feeder cattle prices have all rallied to new all-time highs (beef prices if one ignores the brief rally during the COVID-19 plant closures). The fundamental...

WPI Transportation Report

Dry Bulk Markets The Capesize market is up more than 80 percent from last week’s report due to greatly improved iron ore demand in the Atlantic. There has been a notable increase in inquiries for vessels from Brazil and West Africa for the August/LH September time frame. Additionally, Aus...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Sales

Export Sales and Shipments for July 4-10, 2025.  Wheat: Net sales of 494,400 metric tons (MT) for 2025/2026 were down 13 percent from the previous week, but up 8 percent from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 432,900 MT were down 3 percent from the previous week, but up 7 perce...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Quirky Day in a Quirky Week

It was a somewhat quirky day as grains took their lumps and soyoil supported beans. There was a new contract low in HRW, low volume trading corn and livestock, but high volume in soyoil. After trading 40,000 contracts, December soymeal settled unchanged, and moving in mere fractions, September...

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From WPI Consulting

Infrastructure investment due diligence

On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.

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