It used to be that analyzing world supplies and demand for grains and oilseeds was basically concentrated on just a few countries. Production was dominated by the U.S. with Canada, the EU, Australia, Argentina and South Africa added to the mix. Besides domestic demand in those producing countries, export demand tended to focus on Japan, South Korea, North Africa, India and a few other select consuming countries. After 1973, the “big picture” buyers, Russia and China were added to the mix. Perhaps the most significant change in the last four decades has been the spread of grain production around the world and the rise of several non-traditional exporting countries such as Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Romania. As...
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
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.