General Comments USDA's report that corn planting had progressed to 71 percent as of 19 May came as a pleasant surprise. That is only 8 percent below average. Even with mostly favorable Corn Belt weather, most guesses were in the 60-65 percent range. Given that window of opportunity, U.S. farmers planted 43 percent of the corn crop last week, a near record amount of corn planting in a single week. Once again, we are reminded how rapidly U.S. famers can plant corn when weather cooperates. Although rains will affect various portions of the Corn Belt over the next 10 days, there should be enough opportunity so that the corn crop is essentially all planted by 1 June. The intermittent rainfall will benefit newly seeded corn and maintain the f...
What You Need to Know Today: Commodities were mostly lower across the board today after yesterday’s Federal Reserve meeting hinted at a potential interest rate hike later in 2026. The dollar index reached its highest level in over a year, and a strong dollar makes U.S. agricultural expor...
Tomorrow is the Juneteenth federal holiday, and the USDA, along with the rest of the federal government and the CME, will be closed, so the monthly Cattle on Feed report was released a day early. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity on 1 June amounted...
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.