World Perspectives
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

What Is Wrong With Being Big?

Farming is like any other business that produces and sells goods and services. Its profitability depends on maximizing productivity, efficiency and economies of scale.We grew up in eastern South Dakota a long time ago when agriculture was not just the leading industry in the area, it was the only industry. The town we lived in was so big that it had two country grain elevators. There was an additional elevator in a tiny town about eight miles to the west and one in another very tiny town about 12 miles east. Within a 50-mile radius of where we lived there were at least 20 country elevators. The area was served by two rail lines. An east/west line ran through our town as well as a north/south line. Farms in our county probably averaged less...

Related Articles
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: CBOT Falls as Big Crops Get Bigger

The CBOT was mostly bearish on Friday under the primary theme that big crops get bigger. That is true of Brazil’s safrinha production, the outlook for which CONAB raised yesterday, and Argentina’s soybean crop per the Rosario Grains Exchange’s latest estimates. Similarly, whea...

U.S. Agriculture Crisis

U.S. farmers’ export markets were challenging before the trade war, and they are not coming back. It is time for Plan B. The trade agreement still being negotiated with the United Kingdom will supposedly allow U.S. beef producers to fill up to 1.5 percent of the British market. Except the...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Jul 25 Corn closed at $4.435/bushel, down $0.05 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Wheat closed at $5.25/bushel, down $0.0775 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Soybeans closed at $10.5/bushel, down $0.0125 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Soymeal closed at $291.9/short ton, down $4.5 f...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: CBOT Falls as Big Crops Get Bigger

The CBOT was mostly bearish on Friday under the primary theme that big crops get bigger. That is true of Brazil’s safrinha production, the outlook for which CONAB raised yesterday, and Argentina’s soybean crop per the Rosario Grains Exchange’s latest estimates. Similarly, whea...

U.S. Agriculture Crisis

U.S. farmers’ export markets were challenging before the trade war, and they are not coming back. It is time for Plan B. The trade agreement still being negotiated with the United Kingdom will supposedly allow U.S. beef producers to fill up to 1.5 percent of the British market. Except the...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Jul 25 Corn closed at $4.435/bushel, down $0.05 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Wheat closed at $5.25/bushel, down $0.0775 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Soybeans closed at $10.5/bushel, down $0.0125 from yesterday's close.  Jul 25 Soymeal closed at $291.9/short ton, down $4.5 f...

biofuel

Policy Quick Hits

The following is a rundown of some key issues impacting agriculture: Reconciliation: The reconciliation bill passed through the Agriculture Committee on a party line vote, 29 to 25. All the amendments offered also passed by the same party line vote. The bill would cut the Supplemental Nutrition...

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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.

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