General Comments Stronger Chinese futures markets and still-circulating rumors that China bought as much as 800,000 MT of U.S. corn gave some impetus to a half-hearted overnight rally effort for CME futures. However, that effort was rather quickly overtaken as the day session opened by forecasts for improving harvest weather and steady chatter about unexpectedly good corn yields. There is also talk of good soybean yields as well as some that are not so good. If we dare draw any conclusions from what we are hearing, it would be this: producer reports of good corn yields are relatively consistent. Producer reports of soybean yields are more variable than for corn. We suppose this makes sense since corn got all of the benefits of the good...
What You Need to Know Today: Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans continued to accelerate, with USDA reporting another 558 KMT sold to China and 236 KMT to unknown destinations. Combined with sales announced Wednesday and Thursday, the latest purchases bring the three-day total to approximately...
Key Takeaways: With the fall calf run now upon us, producers are finally getting a glimpse of what their realized profits will be for 2026. Some producers may have already obtained a strong estimate of 2026 revenues, especially if calves were forward sold in, for example, the mid-summer...
As fall begins, wild migratory birds are starting their seasonal migration. That has the industry and government officials worried about the potential spread, again, of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Some members of Congress have called for the United States to be prepared for a pote...
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.