Warming Weather, Cooling Markets This week cattle prices dropped, which is unusual for seasonal markets, moving into the spring and summer high-demand seasons. In fact, some had thought that the unseasonably warm weather across the East and Midwest might hurry the bullish market for beef, but instead we've seen a very quiet week for cash cattle. Perhaps we're testing the limits of consumers' price elasticity and the depth of packers' wallets with recent price run-ups. Look at this cooling off in price to be just that -- a cooling -- and nothing more. Demand will heat up over the summer, even if it is curbed at the top-end by retail prices. Farm Bill and Russia Trade Hearings There were a couple hearings on Capitol Hill today of inter...
What You Need to Know Today: Declining crop conditions ratings and shaky results from the Pro Farmer crop tour sent grains sharply higher on Tuesday. The Pro Farmer tour in Ohio pegged the state yield at 180.18 BPA, about 5.5 BPA below the tour’s 2025 estimate. Similarly, the Pro Farmer...
Based on a Depression-era statute, President Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion of exports to the U.S., or about 5.2 percent of the $383 billion worth of goods the U.S. imported from Canada in 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Of that total, about $39.3 billion was agricu...
Key Takeaways: Brazil’s growing role in global agriculture is accompanied by a major vulnerability: the country imports approximately 88 percent of its fertilizer needs. High natural gas costs and development challenges have limited domestic nitrogen and potash production despite Brazil&...
From WPI Consulting
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.