The CBOT was mostly higher on Wednesday with soybeans again leading the way. Strong commercial demand for soybeans is pushing basis levels sharply higher at a time when USDA is expected to cut its estimates of U.S. old and new crop ending stocks. Corn joined in on the rally, due partly to spread trade and better-than-expected fuel demand last week, but largely to a weather forecast that favors warm, dry conditions heading into the peak pollination period. Overnight weather models reaffirmed the EU model’s recent prediction of a high pressure ridge over the central U.S. that will keep most of the U.S. crop-growing region(s) under warm, dry conditions. Amid tight U.S. and world stocks this year, the markets do not want to see any threat...
From WPI Consulting
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.