Grain and soy prices firmed overnight as the leading weather models indicated the return of above-normal temperatures and dry conditions to portions of the Midwest during the first two weeks of August. Although crop maturity is generally eight-10 days ahead of average, heat and dryness during early August can still have a negative impact, especially on soybeans. November soybeans traded up about 6 cents overnight with corn and wheat up close to 2 cents. Overnight trade did not prepare the market for what was to come during the day session, though. Early this morning, Bloomberg reported that U.S. and Chinese officials were quietly talking about a restart to trade discussions in an effort to end the trade conflict between the two countries...
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.