The CBOT was mixed in low-volume trade to end the week. Chicago wheat was the upside leader, though few contracts followed that market’s lead. Corn and soybeans were weaker for most of the day, but a rally in soyoil helped the oilseed market settle higher for the day. Traders were cautious heading into the weekend with good harvest progress expected for the U.S. Midwest. Short selling was noted as spec traders positioned for a possible round of hedge sales by producers before this week’s harvest. Any hedge pressure appeared minimal as the markets closed, which could create some short covering early next week. Energy markets seem to be taking much of traders’ attention right now, with record natural gas prices in Eur...
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.