The current soybean market is a far cry from what most analysts expected, and we have once again been reminded that it is wise to be wary when there is a near unanimous analytical consensus on long-term market prospects.One reason why commodity markets are so fascinating and even addictive is that the factors that combine to establish values seldom, if ever, go as planned or predicted. This is particularly true for agricultural commodities. Analysts can carefully study production economics and forecast the production volume of various crops as well as the resulting total supply of each crop that will be available. They can consider the economic factors that determine demand with equal care and forecast how much of each crop will be needed...
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.