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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Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.625/bushel, up $0.03 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $5.9/bushel, up $0.0225 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.55/bushel, down $0.085 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $322.4/short ton, down $4.2 from y...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Diminishing Energy Impacts on CBOT Trade

Tuesday’s energy markets took back about half of Monday’s losses as tensions in the Arab Gulf flared again, despite recent announcements of diplomatic talks and a five-day cooling-down period from the U.S. Overnight, Iran and Israel launched new rounds of attacks on each other, and...

China Market Analysis

Balanced Trade Bilateral trade in both directions between the U.S. and China has slowed, but Chinese Premier Li Qiang told last week’s meeting of the China Development Forum 2026 that Beijing pledges balanced trade and greater openness. His country is seeking to reassure foreign investors...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.625/bushel, up $0.03 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $5.9/bushel, up $0.0225 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.55/bushel, down $0.085 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $322.4/short ton, down $4.2 from y...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Diminishing Energy Impacts on CBOT Trade

Tuesday’s energy markets took back about half of Monday’s losses as tensions in the Arab Gulf flared again, despite recent announcements of diplomatic talks and a five-day cooling-down period from the U.S. Overnight, Iran and Israel launched new rounds of attacks on each other, and...

China Market Analysis

Balanced Trade Bilateral trade in both directions between the U.S. and China has slowed, but Chinese Premier Li Qiang told last week’s meeting of the China Development Forum 2026 that Beijing pledges balanced trade and greater openness. His country is seeking to reassure foreign investors...

Thune Introduces Fertilizer Price Reporting Bill

The war in Iran has brought the four-year simmering focus on fertilizer prices to a quick boil.  Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) introduced the Fertilizer Transparency Act, cosponsored by Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsi...

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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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