World Perspectives

Drip, Drip, Drop; Populist Modi

Drip, Drip, Drop USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue told his audience at Michigan State University this week that the Trump administration’s trade policy approach will not sabotage the agriculture sector and that it will not “be a pawn in this issue.” With China’s announcement of 25 percent tariffs on American soybeans and other agricultural products, it is a pawn and it is sabotaging the industry. This fact was acknowledged by his subsequent assurance that the sector would be compensated. Compensation will be a curious construct. The problem in international trade is not just the dumping of steel or the stealing of intellectual property but asymmetry across a wide range of policies. Agriculture gets hurt worse by the Tru...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.6725/bushel, up $0.0475 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $6.1375/bushel, up $0.1525 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $12.2525/bushel, down $0.02 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $322.7/short ton, up $2.5 f...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Another Week of War and Commodity Gains

Corn and soybeans closed lower in the overnight session, and wheat joined them in trading lower this morning for a brief period before a turnaround that also pulled corn higher by the close. Soybeans couldn’t quite get there but did manage to erase the double-digit losses seen earlier in...

USTR Announces Multiple Section 301 Investigations

United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer on Wednesday announced the initiation of investigations regarding the “acts, policies, and practices” of various countries under Section 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974 relating to structural excess capacity and production in...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.6725/bushel, up $0.0475 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $6.1375/bushel, up $0.1525 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $12.2525/bushel, down $0.02 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $322.7/short ton, up $2.5 f...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Another Week of War and Commodity Gains

Corn and soybeans closed lower in the overnight session, and wheat joined them in trading lower this morning for a brief period before a turnaround that also pulled corn higher by the close. Soybeans couldn’t quite get there but did manage to erase the double-digit losses seen earlier in...

USTR Announces Multiple Section 301 Investigations

United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer on Wednesday announced the initiation of investigations regarding the “acts, policies, and practices” of various countries under Section 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974 relating to structural excess capacity and production in...

feed-grains biofuel energy

Ethanol Production Outlook Amid Energy Rally

Yesterday, WPI briefly examined how biodiesel production margins have surged alongside broader energy markets following the U.S./Israel-Iran conflict. The surge in energy prices lifted biodiesel margins to two-year, if not higher, levels and has exerted a similar, positive effect on ethanol pro...

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From WPI Consulting

Forecasting developments in production agriculture

On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.

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