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...

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Thanksgiving Holiday

U.S. financial markets are closed for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, 27 November. Consequently, WPI’s offices will be closed as well and no issue of Ag Perspectives will be published. Ag Perspectives will resume Friday, 28 November. We wish everyone a happy holiday! ...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Broadly Bullish

The CBOT was higher heading into the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday with investors across the board seeming to find optimism amid a relatively quiet news day. For the ag markets, news that China continues to book U.S. soybeans – securing as many as 10 cargoes on Tuesday – is supportive,...

Banty Rooster; Affordability Writ Large

Banty Rooster The EU is largely being ignored in the negotiations with Russia and Ukraine over a peace deal but that didn’t stop High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas from asserting her viewpoint. She proclaimed that Russia should “curb” the s...

Thanksgiving Holiday

U.S. financial markets are closed for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, 27 November. Consequently, WPI’s offices will be closed as well and no issue of Ag Perspectives will be published. Ag Perspectives will resume Friday, 28 November. We wish everyone a happy holiday! ...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Broadly Bullish

The CBOT was higher heading into the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday with investors across the board seeming to find optimism amid a relatively quiet news day. For the ag markets, news that China continues to book U.S. soybeans – securing as many as 10 cargoes on Tuesday – is supportive,...

Banty Rooster; Affordability Writ Large

Banty Rooster The EU is largely being ignored in the negotiations with Russia and Ukraine over a peace deal but that didn’t stop High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas from asserting her viewpoint. She proclaimed that Russia should “curb” the s...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.4525/bushel, up $0.07 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.405/bushel, up $0.0125 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $11.315/bushel, up $0.0675 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soymeal closed at $320.4/short ton, up $0 from ye...

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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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