We’ve been updating our ideas on U.S. wheat production over each of the past few months, and the primary reason for doing this so early in the season is that a severe drought has encased the southern Plains since early last fall. It has not abated and instead worsened. Despite the obvious results of this, market analysts have continued to forecast average or, in some cases, above-average hard red winter wheat yields. 37 percent of the total U.S. winter wheat crop was rated poor to very poor as of last Monday’s report, and 50 percent of the Kansas crop is rated poor to very poor. This week’s Kansas crop tour released a production estimate of 243 million bushels for the state, down from 334 million bushels in 2017, but not...
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.
The corn and soy complex closed higher, with the wheat market mixed, as winter wheat closed up but spring wheat and livestock ended lower. Part of the strength for corn and soybeans may have been a weather premium, as crop planting has started out fast but warm weather has been slow to develop...
Real GDP grew at a 2 percent annual rate in the first quarter of 2026, slightly below the consensus expectation of 2.3 percent but above the 0.5 percent growth in Q4 2025. The GDP number matches the average annualized pace of growth since the peak back in late 2007, right before the Financial P...
Reflect for a moment on what you eat. There is a lot of advice out there in the ether about what you should eat, but really, what do you currently eat and how much? The good people at the USDA have some data for you, to help you answer that question. USDA says that we eat quite a bit of meat. L...