No one was outright bullish about wheat. The consensus was cautionary heading into 2015 because of the potential production problems that "might" occur.I was a participant in the trading session of the International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM) Africa/Middle East conference in South Africa late last week. Wheat was of course the primary topic of conversation, and there was a wide range of speakers covering everything from Black Sea country reports to world ocean freight markets. Here are some notes from the various speakers:
Ocean freights have been very inexpensive and are forecast to remain that way through 2015 as well as perhaps far beyond that. The problem is simple. Too many new vessels are still being built, and the sal...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The big news in the cattle markets yesterday was Tyson Foods’ move to close two more beef plants. One of them, the Joslin, Illinois, plant was shuttered immediately after the announcement. The other, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a case-ready plant that does not slaughter cattle. Tyson also...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...