Decades ago, WPI’s staff was dominated by “Wheaties,” analysts who favored studying wheat. One analyst famously declared his “love” for wheat. It was widely grown in the U.S., a dominant export, and unlike corn or soybeans it involved six different classes, each with their own unique values but then subject to blending when end products and pricing favored it. It offered complexity. Wheat has long been dethroned volume-wise in the U.S. by corn and soybeans, and analysts may now favor livestock for its intricacies. But in many other parts of the world it retains its higher status. The key staple crops for humans are rice, wheat, and maize, with Asians producing and consuming most of the world’s rice. Howe...

TAGS – Wheat, North America