Tomorrow’s weekly USDA Export Sales Report is an important measure of the pace of disappearance for U.S. grains, but another is the volume being loaded onto rail cars. This is true for both domestic consumption but also shipments out of the Pacific Northwest. Feed grain loadings were noticeably down during the summer of 2020 relative to the two prior years. However, they have taken an upshot in September that is in contrast with the recent past. The fundamental question is whether these loadings continue at an above usual pace. If so, it could signal a catch-up in supply destruction bringing it closer in line with prior calendar years. If it flattens as it has in prior years, it could mean a buildup in surplus stock levels.&nbs...
What You Need to Know Today: Commodities were mostly lower across the board today after yesterday’s Federal Reserve meeting hinted at a potential interest rate hike later in 2026. The dollar index reached its highest level in over a year, and a strong dollar makes U.S. agricultural expor...
Tomorrow is the Juneteenth federal holiday, and the USDA, along with the rest of the federal government and the CME, will be closed, so the monthly Cattle on Feed report was released a day early. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity on 1 June amounted...
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.