Today is the 2025 USDA Outlook Conference, a fitting time to look at commodity forecasts for the upcoming year. Below is USDA’s outlook for the livestock and products commodities. The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) cattle report was released on 31 January, showing the total of all cattle and calves on 1 January 2025 was estimated at 86.662 million head, about 500,000 fewer than the previous year. This marks the sixth year of contraction for aggregate beef and dairy cattle inventories and the 11th year overall of the current cattle cycle, which is the cyclical expansion and contraction of the national cattle herd over time. The cycle is influenced by the combined effects of cattle prices, input costs that drive c...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The big news in the cattle markets yesterday was Tyson Foods’ move to close two more beef plants. One of them, the Joslin, Illinois, plant was shuttered immediately after the announcement. The other, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a case-ready plant that does not slaughter cattle. Tyson also...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...
From WPI Consulting
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.