Wheat continues to confound market analysts who are searching for a reason for its strong rally. General Comments Markets started the night session lower after yesterday's late market break in corn and wheat and softening in the soy complex. They were steady to slightly higher by morning and started today's session firm in corn and wheat and slightly lower in soybeans, meal and oil. There wasn't much around in terms of news this morning, and nothing from USDA on any fresh export sales or sales cancellations. U.S. financial markets were slightly higher early in the day, but gradually turned lower on nervousness over what might happen over the weekend in Crimea. Crude oil was slightly higher, and the U.S. dollar index was slightly lower.Tod...
What You Need to Know Today: U.S. weather is getting more attention this week as conditions vary greatly across the western, central, and eastern corn belts, with the different regions battling dryness and too much rain simultaneously. The ProFarmer Crop Tour began today in Indiana and Nebrask...
Key Takeaways: Argentina is on pace for a record corn crop and record exports in the current marketing year, with abundant supplies likely to keep the country highly competitive in global export markets. Argentina’s record exportable surplus is allowing it to offer highly competitive pri...
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.