The whipsaw weather and the seeming inability of the GFS weather model to provide accurate forecasts continue to frustrate futures traders. Soybean futures were a bit more active, though, and managed to post solid price gains today. General Comments The whipsaw weather and the seeming inability of the GFS weather model to provide accurate forecasts continue to frustrate futures traders. The good rains that were supposed to fall over Iowa in the last 24 hours did not materialize as predicted. Both the amounts and the coverage were much less than expected and not enough to halt the loss of soil moisture. Rain showers did move into Missouri and parts of Illinois, however. Both the EU and GFS models now agree that the western Corn Belt will n...
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
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.