February is often a time of optimism for world agricultural producers, at least those residing in the Northern Hemisphere. When viewed in February, one to three months before new spring crops are actually planted, production prospects nearly always look rosy: planted area will be large, yields will be big, and production totals will be bountiful. USDA's annual budgetary baseline numbers are perfect examples. Invariably, budget forecasts of government expenditures for the next fiscal year are based on assumptions that minimize spending forecasts for political reasons. Under U.S. farm programs, expenditures decline when crops are large. Thus, it suits the budgetary purposes of any administration for USDA to use big crop production numbers w...
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
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.