The initial (and minimum) prices for the federal crop insurance programs are established for the spring planted grains and oilseeds during the month of February. They are the simple average of the futures market closes for September Mpls wheat futures, December corn futures and November soybean futures. That means there are only three days left in the calculation period, so the prices won't vary much from last Friday's calculations. These prices could be extremely important to farmers' net incomes in 2012 if the bearish projections contained in last week's USDA Outlook conference are eventually accurate. The table below shows the crop insurance price points for 2012 production compared to 2011:It is important to remember that the crop ins...
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...
Key Market Insights Geopolitical Limbo: Geopolitical risk remained a key driver across global commodity markets today. President Trump stated that the Iran memorandum of understanding is not yet final and warned that military action could resume if negotiations fail. Both sides continue w...
From WPI Consulting
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.