The recovery by soybean futures prices from their immediate post-WASDE loss this week and the subsequent move higher seem to hint that something is going on. This prompts taking a closer look.A look at the futures screen at mid-session showed November soybeans up 16 cents. They have been as much as 18 cents higher. Immediately following the 12 September release of this month’s WASDE with its forecast of a record-large U.S. soybean crop in 2017, the new crop contract plunged 22 cents. This was largely due, at least in part, to sell orders generated by computers that instantly scan the reports’ key numbers. (We wonder if high-speed computer analytics will soon do away with human analysts.) Soybean futures have swung in a 40 cent range since t...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The big news in the cattle markets yesterday was Tyson Foods’ move to close two more beef plants. One of them, the Joslin, Illinois, plant was shuttered immediately after the announcement. The other, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a case-ready plant that does not slaughter cattle. Tyson also...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...
From WPI Consulting
Accountability and a comprehensive approach to export programming
WPI’s team helped construct a strategic approach to develop, implement, and track promotional activities in 8 key regions across the globe for an agricultural export association. With continued progress measurement and strategic advisory services from WPI, the association has seen its ROI from investments in promotional programming increase by 44 percent over the past 5 years. Not only does this type of holistic approach to organizational strategy provide measurable results to track and analyze, it fosters top-down and bottom-up organizational accountability.