World Perspectives

Wrong at the Top; Happy Talk

Wrong at the Top We admit as private policy analysts that sometimes we add 1+1 and get three. It turns out top government officials can make the same mistake. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack had mused aloud that China could be buying Brazilian corn and not U.S. corn in retaliation for state-level restrictions on the Middle Kingdom buying American farmland. It was a way for the Secretary to fend off criticism of a U.S. agricultural trade deficit while pinning blame on Republican governors. Never mind that the Biden Administration’s relationship with Beijing is not exactly rosy.  Now comes word that China has cancelled corn purchases from Ukraine. That could be a move to hurt Russia’s enemy, or per German sources, it could be a...

Related Articles

Transportation Perspectives - 20 March

As you probably guessed, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to drive market sentiment for energy markets and tanker vessel rates. While there have been several developments in the region this week, the big picture factors are the same: the Strait of Hormuz is all but sealed to ve...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.6975/bushel, up $0.065 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $6.08/bushel, up $0.0375 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.685/bushel, up $0.0675 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $332.5/short ton, up $10.8 from...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Sales

Export Sales and Shipments for March 6-12, 2026. Wheat: Net sales of 189,900 metric tons (MT) for 2025/2026 were down 58 percent from the previous week and 36 percent from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 383,100 MT were down 11 percent from the previous week and 7 percent from the...

Transportation Perspectives - 20 March

As you probably guessed, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to drive market sentiment for energy markets and tanker vessel rates. While there have been several developments in the region this week, the big picture factors are the same: the Strait of Hormuz is all but sealed to ve...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.6975/bushel, up $0.065 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $6.08/bushel, up $0.0375 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.685/bushel, up $0.0675 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $332.5/short ton, up $10.8 from...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Sales

Export Sales and Shipments for March 6-12, 2026. Wheat: Net sales of 189,900 metric tons (MT) for 2025/2026 were down 58 percent from the previous week and 36 percent from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 383,100 MT were down 11 percent from the previous week and 7 percent from the...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Energy Pulls Futures Higher, For Now

Tomorrow is Nowruz (spring equinox), the Persian New Year, but there will likely be no break from the war. There continued to be upward price pressure on grains and oilseeds, chasing the spike in fossil fuel prices. There may be ample fertilizer for Northern Hemisphere crops nearing planting ti...

Image
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.

Search World Perspectives

Sign In to World Perspectives

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up