Today's USDA export sales report indicated U.S. exporters last week sold substantially more soybeans and soymeal than analysts surveyed by Reuters predicted.. StatsCan Sharply Increases Estimate of Canada's 2014 Canola Crop Statistics Canada today raised its estimate of the 2014 Canadian canola crop from 14.1 MMT to 15.555 MMT. That is 1 MMT greater than the average estimates of analysts queried by Reuters. The average yield this year is estimated at 34.4 bushels per acre versus 40 bushels in 2013. The crop is the second–largest in history behind last year's production of 17.966 MMT.StatsCan also raised its forecast for the 2014 Canadian soybean crop to 6.049 MMT. That is a new record for Canada after last year's 5.359 MMT. Manitoba's soy...
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...
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.