One feature during July has been the consistency of USDA’s weekly crop condition ratings for corn and soybeans. There is already considerable discussion about how those will translate into USDA’s first survey-based yield estimates.Insofar as crop-related weather is concerned, it has been a strange summer in the central U.S, the heart of corn and soybean production. In terms of temperatures, June and July have been among the hottest months on record. Looking at just that, the 2016 U.S. corn and soybean crops would appear to be in serious trouble. Indeed, this was the conclusion many observers reached during the second-half of June, which led noncommercial funds to add to huge speculative long positions in corn and soybeans futures contracts...
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
Accountability and a comprehensive approach to export programming
WPI’s team helped construct a strategic approach to develop, implement, and track promotional activities in 8 key regions across the globe for an agricultural export association. With continued progress measurement and strategic advisory services from WPI, the association has seen its ROI from investments in promotional programming increase by 44 percent over the past 5 years. Not only does this type of holistic approach to organizational strategy provide measurable results to track and analyze, it fosters top-down and bottom-up organizational accountability.