World Perspectives

Higher Interest Rates to Stay

This week’s inflation reports have added some turbulence to the Federal Reserve’s approach to bringing the economy in for a soft landing.  The Fed started an unprecedented set of rate hikes to the federal funds rate in Q2 2022 that helped tame inflation through Q3 2024.  The economy entered Q4 2023 with signs that inflation had been squeezed out, only to see it reignite in late 2023 and carry through Q1 2024.  The March consumer price index (CPI) was up 0.4 percent month over month, the same as February, and up 3.5 percent on a year over year basis.  Core inflation – excluding food and energy, and the category that the Fed watches – was up 3.8 percent, still nearly double the Fed’s goal.&nb...

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Market Commentary: Calm, Confident, But Correct?

The trading before a major WSDE report always entails differing vibes. It is more volatile when there is wide variance in expectations, and more subdued when the mood is more sublime. This might count as the latter except where it wasn’t.   The volume trading corn, wheat and soy...

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Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.1975/bushel, up $0.0275 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.215/bushel, up $0.065 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.335/bushel, up $0.0825 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $287.7/short ton, up $1.9 from...

Livestock Roundup: Inflation Is Up

The CPI released this morning showed that August prices increased 0.4 percent and 2.9 percent over the last 12 months. For food at home, the index rose to 0.6 percent in August and for 0.3 percent for food away from home. The August data compares to a drop of -0.1 percent in July and 2.7 percen...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Calm, Confident, But Correct?

The trading before a major WSDE report always entails differing vibes. It is more volatile when there is wide variance in expectations, and more subdued when the mood is more sublime. This might count as the latter except where it wasn’t.   The volume trading corn, wheat and soy...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.1975/bushel, up $0.0275 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.215/bushel, up $0.065 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.335/bushel, up $0.0825 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $287.7/short ton, up $1.9 from...

Livestock Roundup: Inflation Is Up

The CPI released this morning showed that August prices increased 0.4 percent and 2.9 percent over the last 12 months. For food at home, the index rose to 0.6 percent in August and for 0.3 percent for food away from home. The August data compares to a drop of -0.1 percent in July and 2.7 percen...

Remembering 9-11

Twenty-four years ago, on September 11, 2001, the U.S. experienced one of the most tragic and influential days in the nation’s history. The events of that day would spark great unity, and later division, as our nation grappled with terrorism’s fallout. The days and weeks immediately...

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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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