World Perspectives

Dark, Happy Winter Thoughts

The U.S. government is headed into a record-long shutdown with no end in sight. Americans are fractured politically. There is even talk of civil war on social media with left and right arguing which side has more firepower: those with illegal guns in coastal inner cities or the armed rednecks in between. In a nation with 100 million guns, it is not a pretty thought. South Korea’s exports are slowing as global demand for everything from chips to cars to heavy equipment is falling. In a glass-half-full assessment, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says the economy will not go into recession this year, although it will slow down. Leaders in the European Parliament are insisting there be no trade negotiations with the U.S. unt...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.1975/bushel, down $0.035 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.0025/bushel, down $0.045 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.3075/bushel, down $0.01 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $286.9/short ton, up $1.9...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Ag Markets Fall as Political Winds Swirl

The CBOT was mostly red on Tuesday with a combination of technical factors and a policy position reversal from the American Petroleum Institute weighing on markets. The API sent a letter to congress saying it reversed its earlier support for year-round sales of E15 fuel and said the government...

Splitting Decision

Policymaking in democracies is hard and nowhere is that truer than in the multinational setting of the European Union. Belatedly, a larger construct of EU policymakers have come to appreciate that genetic engineering is technology, and Europe is falling behind in an increasingly technological w...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.1975/bushel, down $0.035 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.0025/bushel, down $0.045 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.3075/bushel, down $0.01 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $286.9/short ton, up $1.9...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Ag Markets Fall as Political Winds Swirl

The CBOT was mostly red on Tuesday with a combination of technical factors and a policy position reversal from the American Petroleum Institute weighing on markets. The API sent a letter to congress saying it reversed its earlier support for year-round sales of E15 fuel and said the government...

Splitting Decision

Policymaking in democracies is hard and nowhere is that truer than in the multinational setting of the European Union. Belatedly, a larger construct of EU policymakers have come to appreciate that genetic engineering is technology, and Europe is falling behind in an increasingly technological w...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Inspections: Corn and Wheat Up, Soybeans and Sorghum Down

The USDA’s weekly export inspections report will continue to be issued during the ongoing partial shutdown of the federal government, until further notice. However, there is a temporary suspension of the weekly export sales and monthly supply and demand reports. Nonetheless, USDA is repor...

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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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