World Perspectives

Land Use and Impact

The EU’s provisional agreement last week on changes to the Common Agricultural Policy envisions farmers setting aside 3 percent of their arable land for biodiversity efforts. While the share of agricultural land used for crops in the U.S. is about 39 percent less than in Europe, the number of acres sown to row crops has already been in decline. Market analysts were shocked last week when USDA found farmers planting fewer acres than crop prices would otherwise indicate. Some say declining acreage use is due to higher input costs and land values. It does not appear that paid land set-asides are a cause.  A key difference between Europe and the U.S. is land use as range or pastureland. Thirty-nine percent (173 million hectares) of...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Sales

Export Sales and Shipments for September 5-11, 2025 Wheat: Net sales of 377,500 metric tons (MT) for 2025/2026 were up 24 percent from the previous week, but down 12 percent from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 774,800 MT were up noticeably from the previous week and up 19 percent...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Looking for Demand Amidst Ample Supplies

Grain and oilseed trading was mostly in the red today, with livestock markets trading higher. Volume was higher today in soymeal, but otherwise it was modest and even relatively low in corn. Markets tend to drift when lacking any major new directional inputs.  USDA’s weekly Export Sa...

biofuel energy

How the EPA’s Anti-Decision Will Affect Biofuels and Soyoil

In mythology or legends, the hero is obviously identified – the “good guy” standing up for justice, not compromising what is right, and displays courage or other noble and admired qualities. Standing in contrast – but not quite opposite – to the hero is the anti-he...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Sales

Export Sales and Shipments for September 5-11, 2025 Wheat: Net sales of 377,500 metric tons (MT) for 2025/2026 were up 24 percent from the previous week, but down 12 percent from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 774,800 MT were up noticeably from the previous week and up 19 percent...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Looking for Demand Amidst Ample Supplies

Grain and oilseed trading was mostly in the red today, with livestock markets trading higher. Volume was higher today in soymeal, but otherwise it was modest and even relatively low in corn. Markets tend to drift when lacking any major new directional inputs.  USDA’s weekly Export Sa...

biofuel energy

How the EPA’s Anti-Decision Will Affect Biofuels and Soyoil

In mythology or legends, the hero is obviously identified – the “good guy” standing up for justice, not compromising what is right, and displays courage or other noble and admired qualities. Standing in contrast – but not quite opposite – to the hero is the anti-he...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.2375/bushel, down $0.03 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.2425/bushel, down $0.04 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.375/bushel, down $0.0625 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $284.7/short ton, down $1...

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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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