World Perspectives

Fixing the WTO; The Winner is Ag

Fixing the WTO The 13th Ministerial Conference last month in Abu Dhabi was yet another failure by the WTO. Now Singapore has proposed a retreat to discuss fundamental fixes needed to stop the long string of failures. Ultimately, the structural problems of the WTO involve one country, one vote and the necessity of consensus. Gambia with just 1.4 million people and a $2 billion economy has the same voting power as China with 1.4 billion people and $17.7 trillion in GDP. None of the other Bretton Woods institutions have this flaw. The UN is prejudiced toward the more powerful countries via the Security Council. The bias of the IMF and World Bank is toward economic size and capital contributions.  The majority involves poorer countries a...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.34/bushel, up $0.02 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.3225/bushel, up $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $10.945/bushel, down $0.0075 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $308.7/short ton, up $2.2 from...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Grains Consolidate while Soymeal Runs Higher and Cattle Firm

The lingering effects of trade agreements and now-confirmed export rumors were the primary drivers of the CBOT’s action on Wednesday. Tuesday’s rumors of China buying some U.S. soybeans ahead of the trade talks with the U.S. on Thursday were confirmed by Reuters and Bloomberg. The m...

No Political Hack; Goals versus the Market; Technicalities

No Political Hack The U.S. Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Dr. Julie Callahan to become the U.S. agricultural trade ambassador. The appointment is notable because Callahan does not come from Capitol Hill or other warrens of political expediency when it comes to powe...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.34/bushel, up $0.02 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.3225/bushel, up $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $10.945/bushel, down $0.0075 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $308.7/short ton, up $2.2 from...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Grains Consolidate while Soymeal Runs Higher and Cattle Firm

The lingering effects of trade agreements and now-confirmed export rumors were the primary drivers of the CBOT’s action on Wednesday. Tuesday’s rumors of China buying some U.S. soybeans ahead of the trade talks with the U.S. on Thursday were confirmed by Reuters and Bloomberg. The m...

No Political Hack; Goals versus the Market; Technicalities

No Political Hack The U.S. Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Dr. Julie Callahan to become the U.S. agricultural trade ambassador. The appointment is notable because Callahan does not come from Capitol Hill or other warrens of political expediency when it comes to powe...

FOB Prices and Freight Rates App (Updated 29 October)

WPI Grain Prices and Freight Rate App Note: you can also visit the app directly by clicking here. Supplemental Information The section below offers a concise view of the options available in the current version of the WPI FOB Price and Freight Rate app, along with a short “How To”...

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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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