World Perspectives
livestock

Livestock Round Up: Rocky Road to Rebalancing Beef and Cattle Markets

COVID-19 made a mess of things in the cattle and beef markets. Things are starting to normalize, but the ride is bumpy – and made even bumpier by poor pasture conditions and $7.50/bushel corn.   Compared to year ago levels, meat production last week was up by 51 percent; cattle slaughter up by 48 percent (slaughter weights were 10 pounds heavier this year over last), but last year at this time was when packing plants were being idled due to COVID. A better comparison for cattle slaughter is 2019. So far, cumulative slaughter for the year-to-date is 2.6 percent higher than in 2019. However, cattle slaughter last week was down 2.4 percent from the week before, and actually was down 3.4 percent for the same week in 2019. Th...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Sep 25 Corn closed at $4.06/bushel, down $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Sep 25 Wheat closed at $5.49/bushel, up $0.1075 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.2725/bushel, up $0.0025 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $287.6/short ton, down $1.7 f...

livestock

Feeder Cattle Import Update

As summer demand for beef is upon us, fed cattle hit $233 per cwt yesterday, having moved above $200 per cwt in April on tight supplies. The cattle herd as of 1 January was the smallest in more than 50 years, imports of feeder cattle from Mexico have been suspended due to the New World Screwwor...

Prop 12 Lives, Long Live Prop 12; Power of Ag; Trump Power

Prop 12 Lives, Long Live Prop 12 Delineating the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution from the rights of the states has long been a legal fight in the U.S. Thus, it was notable last night when the U.S. Senate voted 99-1 to remove language from the Big Beautiful Bill that would have restric...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Sep 25 Corn closed at $4.06/bushel, down $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Sep 25 Wheat closed at $5.49/bushel, up $0.1075 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.2725/bushel, up $0.0025 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $287.6/short ton, down $1.7 f...

livestock

Feeder Cattle Import Update

As summer demand for beef is upon us, fed cattle hit $233 per cwt yesterday, having moved above $200 per cwt in April on tight supplies. The cattle herd as of 1 January was the smallest in more than 50 years, imports of feeder cattle from Mexico have been suspended due to the New World Screwwor...

Prop 12 Lives, Long Live Prop 12; Power of Ag; Trump Power

Prop 12 Lives, Long Live Prop 12 Delineating the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution from the rights of the states has long been a legal fight in the U.S. Thus, it was notable last night when the U.S. Senate voted 99-1 to remove language from the Big Beautiful Bill that would have restric...

livestock

Livestock Industry Margins

Beef packer margins finally turned positive last week, the first time packers have made money killing cattle since last October. Margins swung dramatically from a -$131/head loss the prior week to a $15/head gain to close out June. The profits came from the sharp rally in beef prices, a $5/cwt...

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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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