World Perspectives
equities

Unintended Consequences: Labor; GMO-Free; Terrorism

Some are calling it scaremongering by Angela Merkel’s government, but her latest civil defense policy is likely welcome news for agriculture. Automation Push The California Assembly will revisit legislation mandating an increase in wages for farm workers. Similar to the debate over raising the minimum wage, it is a well-intentioned initiative but fraught with well-documented consequences. Farms, like other businesses, operate under the rule of competition, which incentivizes limiting increased costs that lack a corresponding productive gain, and this includes labor costs. This objective is typically met by speeding the adoption of technology.The farm labor targeted by the California Assembly is repetitive by nature, which is ideal for aut...

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FOB Prices and Freight Rates App (Updated 30 April)

Transportation and Freight Market Comments - 25 April 2025 By Matt Herrington Dry-Bulk Ocean Freight Dry bulk markets turned higher this week as buyers booked May-June cargoes after the USTR said the 301 port fees against Chinese vessels will not start until October. Shipping lines remain reluc...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Cattle Extend Record Rally; Wheat Finds New Lows; Corn, Soyoil Collapse

The CBOT tried to rally overnight and posted some slight gains heading into the morning break, but thereafter the market quickly found selling pressure. Monday’s favorable Crop Progress and conditions report from USDA offered much of the justification for the selling pressure and helped s...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Jul 25 Corn closed at $4.7025/bushel, down $0.13 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Wheat closed at $5.255/bushel, down $0.055 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Soybeans closed at $10.5275/bushel, down $0.0975 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Soymeal closed at $298.2/short ton, up $2.3...

FOB Prices and Freight Rates App (Updated 30 April)

Transportation and Freight Market Comments - 25 April 2025 By Matt Herrington Dry-Bulk Ocean Freight Dry bulk markets turned higher this week as buyers booked May-June cargoes after the USTR said the 301 port fees against Chinese vessels will not start until October. Shipping lines remain reluc...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Cattle Extend Record Rally; Wheat Finds New Lows; Corn, Soyoil Collapse

The CBOT tried to rally overnight and posted some slight gains heading into the morning break, but thereafter the market quickly found selling pressure. Monday’s favorable Crop Progress and conditions report from USDA offered much of the justification for the selling pressure and helped s...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Jul 25 Corn closed at $4.7025/bushel, down $0.13 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Wheat closed at $5.255/bushel, down $0.055 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Soybeans closed at $10.5275/bushel, down $0.0975 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Soymeal closed at $298.2/short ton, up $2.3...

Trade War Positions

Canadians reacted with understandable revulsion to President Trump’s insults to their nation. In yesterday’s election, they were given two choices: elect Conservative Pierre Poilievre as prime minister who pledged to build a better and stronger nation, or choose Liberal Mark Carney...

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From WPI Consulting

Communicating importance of value-added products

Facing increasing pressure to quantify the value of export promotion efforts to investors, a U.S. industry organization retained WPI to develop a quantitative model that better communicated the importance of exports. The resulting model concluded that value-added meat exports contributed $0.45 cents per bushel to the price of corn, increasing support for that sector’s financial support of WPI’s client. In addition to serving the red meat industry with this type of analysis, WPI has generated similar deliverables for the U.S. soybean and poultry/egg industries.

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