Soy Export Sales, Large Soybean Sales to China and Elsewhere The last two weeks have seen very large sales of U.S. soybeans to China and other destinations for export in MY 2021/22. This is the time of the year U.S. exporters normally report large new-crop soybean export sales, so the sales are not a surprise, but clearly are a positive signal to the sector. Today’s USDA export sales report for the week ending 12 August indicated exporters reported net sales of soybeans totaling 67,700 MT for shipment in 2020/21 and 2,142,100 MT for export in 2021/22. The top sales for 2020/21 were for China (92,300 MT), Taiwan (12,300 MT), Japan (11,200 MT), Vietnam (11,200 MT), and Indonesia (7,600 MT). Those sales and others were partially offset...
What You Need to Know Today: Cattle futures extended their sharp selloff Friday as weakening cash cattle prices, deteriorating feedlot profitability, and reduced packer demand continued to weigh on the market. The inability of futures to sustain a rally following last week's bullish Cattle on...
As predicted, the Federal Reserve held rates steady at the last meeting before the midterm elections, likely in part because of the election (see WPI 19 October and 22 September). The decision comes at the tail end of a midterm election cycle that has been marked by the two parties campaigning...
Key Takeaways: WPI’s new EU rapeseed crushing margin models point to weaker processing returns over the next four months due to higher rapeseed procurement costs and weaker product values. Statistical forecasts call for German crushing margins to decline from €181/MT to €...
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.