Soybean Condition Worsens, But Can Rebound With Good Rains Yesterday's crop condition report indicated the condition of the U.S. soybean crop deteriorated, as expected last week, due to very hot and dry weather. The percentage of the crop rated good or excellent fell from 45 percent to 40 percent, while the share rated poor or very poor increased by the same amount from 22 percent to 27 percent. The states in the worst shape are Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Michigan. The only states where soybeans are in fairly good condition are Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota and North Carolina.Updated weather forecasts call for rain late this week in the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kentuck...
Key Takeaways: President Trump announced $8 billion in additional agricultural assistance through the Harvest Fuel Relief Program, as USDA projects farm fuel and oil expenses will increase 28.8 percent in 2026. The package follows $12 billion in earlier relief, while government farm payments w...
Key Takeaways: A student group from the University of Chicago is protesting to bring back onion futures trading. Trading in onion futures was banned in 1958 following a spectacular bout of market manipulation that resulted in a corner of the physical market. The ban on onion futures led t...
Beef packer margins deteriorated to $141/head last week, down $55 from the prior week as fed cattle prices strengthened while the Choice cutout remained nearly unchanged. The cutout held near $373/cwt while fed cattle prices climbed $4/cwt to $224/cwt, narrowing processor profits. Despite the d...
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.