World Perspectives
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

The Pandemic, the Economy and Demand

The Federal Reserve Bank’s July meeting ended yesterday. No one expects the Fed to change its stance on record low interest rates or to ease up on its buying of government bonds and mortgage-backed securities as a means of pumping money into the economy. The minutes of this week’s Fed meeting will not be available for several weeks, but we imagine that there must have been considerable discussion about the recent surge of COVID-19 infections in the U.S. (and much of the rest of the world) and what it might mean for the nascent economic recovery from the depths of the first and second quarters of 2020. The dilemma is how to spark and stimulate the economy while the coronavirus and the reactions to it are stifling economic activi...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.54/bushel, up $0 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $5.8975/bushel, down $0.075 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.57/bushel, up $0.0175 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $311.7/short ton, down $0.5 from ye...

livestock

Greeley JBS Beef Plant on Strike

The JBS beef plant in Greeley, Colorado, went on strike yesterday. Today is day two of the labor shutdown. The Greeley plant can process about 6,000 head per day, or 5 percent of the U.S. beef supply. This is a major disruption. Notably, it comes on the heels of Tyson closing its plant in Lexin...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Middle East, Mediterranean, and Africa Regional Analysis

Mediterranean/Middle East/North Africa/Africa – MEA Region The Muslim month of Ramadan is expected to end around 19 March with the beginning of the Eid-al-Fitr holiday — the Eid holiday lasts up to five days depending on the country. Businesses, banks, and government offices will be...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.54/bushel, up $0 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $5.8975/bushel, down $0.075 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.57/bushel, up $0.0175 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $311.7/short ton, down $0.5 from ye...

livestock

Greeley JBS Beef Plant on Strike

The JBS beef plant in Greeley, Colorado, went on strike yesterday. Today is day two of the labor shutdown. The Greeley plant can process about 6,000 head per day, or 5 percent of the U.S. beef supply. This is a major disruption. Notably, it comes on the heels of Tyson closing its plant in Lexin...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Middle East, Mediterranean, and Africa Regional Analysis

Mediterranean/Middle East/North Africa/Africa – MEA Region The Muslim month of Ramadan is expected to end around 19 March with the beginning of the Eid-al-Fitr holiday — the Eid holiday lasts up to five days depending on the country. Businesses, banks, and government offices will be...

livestock

Livestock Industry Margins

Beef packer margins turned positive for the first time since late last year as returns improved to $53/head last week. The turnaround was driven by a strong increase in the boxed beef cutout, which rose to $388.16/cwt, while fed cattle prices declined further on the week. The threat of the labo...

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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.

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