Recent Livestock Analysis
Market Commentary: U.S.-China Talks Leave Markets Waiting for More
What You Need to Know Today: Headlines emerging from negotiations between President Trump and President Xi were relatively limited, with a more substantive announcement expected Monday. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer indicated that additional details related to agricultural trade cou...
Cow-Calf Market Outlook
The heat of summer is now transitioning into more moderate temperatures, and the next two months have the busiest marketing periods of the year for replacement cattle. Weather always influences the replacement cattle market, and the primary grain belt in the Southern Plains, where many cattle a...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.2825/bushel, up $0.0075 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.0325/bushel, down $0.0375 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.19/bushel, up $0.015 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $371/short ton, down $1.4 fr...
Cold Storage Report Summary and Analysis
August 2026 total red meat and poultry stocks totaled 2.01 billion pounds, down 0.5 percent from July versus the typical 0.3 percent monthly decline, but 0.9 percent above August 2025 levels. Total red meat stocks rose 0.8 percent for the month despite typically declining 0.1 percent and were 8...
CFTC COT Report Analysis
Managed money was a slight net seller across agricultural markets for the second straight week, selling a net 3,200 contracts through Tuesday’s reporting deadline and reducing the combined net-long position to 1.017 million contracts. Despite the modest overall selling, soybeans and soyme...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.275/bushel, down $0.015 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.07/bushel, down $0.015 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.175/bushel, down $0.005 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $372.4/short ton, up $1.8 fr...
Market Commentary: Markets Await Xi-Trump Meeting Outcome, Export Sales Disappoint
What You Need to Know Today: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at the White House today as part of a highly anticipated three-day visit to the United States, marking his first visit to Washington in eleven years. Trade is expected to feature prominently in discussions with President Trump,...
Livestock Round Up: Quick Hits – Elections, Beef Imports, Xi Meeting and ICE
Officials from the Trump Administration are reportedly considering rolling back the Administration’s beef import plan as there is a growing panic about the midterm elections. The proposal to reduce the 300,000 MT of beef imports – 100,000 MT for September – is being discussed...
The Farm at the Edge of the World: American Agriculture and a Global Reckoning
Key Takeaways: The United States shifted from a decades-long agricultural trade surplus to a growing deficit, reaching roughly forty-one to forty-four billion dollars in recent fiscal years, a structural change rather than a cyclical dip. Brazil has overtaken the United States as the leading s...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.29/bushel, down $0.0775 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.085/bushel, down $0.0875 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.18/bushel, down $0.075 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $370.6/short ton, down $0.1...
Market Commentary: The Devil Is in the Details
Markets have no shortage of headlines today, but the reaction depends on what sits underneath them. Strong economic growth comes with renewed inflation pressure. Higher crude inventories do little to solve tight diesel supplies. Rain is delaying one crop while helping another, and trade expecta...
DDGS Price Outlook Turns Bullish
Key Takeaways: DDGS prices have been pushing higher this summer as corn, soybean meal, and other feedstuff values have surged amid strong export demand and supply concerns. WPI’s models anticipate additional gains for DDGS values heading into early 2027, with FOB plant prices reach...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.3675/bushel, down $0.0625 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.1725/bushel, down $0.095 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.255/bushel, down $0.025 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $370.7/short ton, up $2...
Market Commentary: Politics Drives Turnaround Tuesday
What You Need to Know Today: Cattle futures crashed on social media rumors that ICE raided one or possibly three fed cattle packing plants in Kansas Monday night or Tuesday morning. Operations at one plant have been disrupted and production curtailed. Outcomes for shipping via the Strait of Ho...
Soymeal Holds Its Value in an Oil-Driven Crush Market
Key Takeaways: The expansion of biofuel-driven soybean crushing was expected to increase soymeal supplies and pressure prices as soyoil became a larger driver of crush economics, but soymeal has instead retained considerable value. Strong domestic and global feed demand has helped absorb addit...
Livestock Industry Margins
Beef packer margins improved to $176/head last week, up $19 from the prior week as the Choice cutout edged higher while fed cattle prices eased. The cutout rose to $376/cwt while fed cattle slipped to $222/cwt, modestly widening packer profits. Margins remain well above year-ago levels despite...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.43/bushel, up $0.155 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.2675/bushel, up $0.125 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.28/bushel, up $0.245 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $368.4/short ton, up $9.8 from yes...
Market Commentary: CBOT Posts Bullish Technical Day ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting
What You Need to Know Today: Grain markets were sharply higher overnight and through the day session as the concerning wet weather pattern persists over the Midwest. Grain traders – and soybean market players in particular – will be closely parsing both what is said and unsaid from...
Senate Moves Farm Bill, but That May Be Not Enough
Last week, the Senate Ag Committee passed the farm bill on a party-line vote upon the return of Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), who missed the vote on 6 August (see WPI coverage here) when it failed by a similar party-line vote, 10-11. Democrats held the...
CFTC COT Report Analysis
Managed money was a slight net seller across agricultural markets in the latest CFTC report, with funds selling a net 3,000 contracts through last Tuesday’s reporting deadline and reducing their combined net-long position to 1.021 million contracts. Despite the modest overall selling, pos...
Cattle on Feed - Sep 2026
U.S. Cattle on Feed totaled 11.2 million head on September 1, 2026 – which was 1 percent above September 1, 2025. Placements in feedlots during August totaled 1.62 million head - 9 percent below 2025. Marketings of fed cattle during August totaled 1.52 million head - 3 percent below...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.275/bushel, down $0.03 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.1425/bushel, down $0.1275 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.035/bushel, down $0.1625 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $358.6/short ton, down $1...
Market Commentary: Soymeal Pulls Back, Bullish Cattle on Feed
What You Need to Know Today: The September Cattle on Feed report was strongly bullish, with both the 1 September on-feed inventory and August placements coming in well below average expectations and below the bottom of their respective pre-report estimate ranges. China continues to buy U...
Cattle on Feed Report: Lowest August Placements and Marketings on Record
USDA’s September cattle on feed report was released Friday, with the total number of cattle in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity amounting to 11.2 million head, 101 percent of last year. Placements dropped in August to their lowest total for the month since records began in 1996...
U.S. Goat Meat Market: Import Growth Outpaces a Slowly Rebuilding Domestic Herd
Key Takeaways: The U.S. herd is stabilizing, but growth remains modest. Total goat inventory rose 1 percent in 2026, while meat-goat numbers increased 2 percent, which is not enough to materially reduce import dependence. Domestic slaughter is rising from a low base. Commercial slaughter incre...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.305/bushel, down $0.0375 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.27/bushel, down $0.0375 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.1975/bushel, down $0.0075 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $371.3/short ton, up $5...
Market Commentary: The Dust Settles
Given yesterday’s headlines, today’s market action may not be what many expected. The dollar is little changed, crude oil is pulling back and stocks are trading higher. Crude may be the biggest piece of today’s reversal. Saudi Arabia is offering additional crude to Asian buyer...
Livestock Round Up: USDA Plans to Expand Small and Very Small Beef Processors
Under an Executive Order on 4 September, USDA announced $50 million in new funding to help states establish or expand meat and poultry inspection programs as part of an effort to increase processing options for livestock producers. It’s called the Stand-Up Program, which will help states...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.3425/bushel, down $0.015 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.3075/bushel, up $0.0225 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.205/bushel, up $0.0175 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $365.6/short ton, up $0.2 f...
Market Commentary: Markets Digest Fed Hike as Trade Takes Center Stage
What You Need to Know Today: As was widely expected, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points to a target range of 3.75–4.00 percent, its first rate increase since 2023, as policymakers respond to persistent inflation pressures. The Fed also signaled that additi...
USDA Reports - The Real Divide in American Agriculture Isn't Who Has the Data — It's Who Can Afford to Read It
Key Takeaways: USDA data access is equal; the ability to use it is not. Larger operations can afford experts who turn public reports into business decisions. Analytical capacity is the true advantage. Forecasts matter only when converted into profit, purchasing, and risk-management decisions...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.3575/bushel, up $0.025 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.285/bushel, up $0.065 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.1875/bushel, up $0.145 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $365.4/short ton, up $9.2 from...
Market Commentary: Soymeal Prices Reach Two-Year High
What You Need to Know Today: Oil prices extended their rally Tuesday as disruptions to global supplies intensified. Saudi Arabia halted crude loadings at its Yanbu Red Sea port following the shutdown of the East-West Pipeline, while protests by oil-sector security workers forced the suspension...
WASDE Livestock and Meat Price Forecasts
The USDA has lowered its 2026 red meat production forecasts while leaving poultry almost unchanged. Beef is now projected at 24.877 billion pounds, 90 million pounds below August on slower Q3 fed cattle slaughter and lighter dressed weights, along with an anticipated counterseasonal cutback in...
Livestock Industry Margins
Beef packer margins deteriorated to $156.75/head last week, down $46.05 from the prior week as fed cattle prices strengthened while gains in the Choice cutout were comparatively modest. The Choice cutout increased...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.3325/bushel, up $0.03 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.22/bushel, down $0.0325 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.0425/bushel, up $0.0775 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $356.2/short ton, up $3.4 fro...
Market Commentary: U.S.-China Talks Leave Markets Waiting for More
What You Need to Know Today: Headlines emerging from negotiations between President Trump and President Xi were relatively limited, with a more substantive announcement expected Monday. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer indicated that additional details related to agricultural trade cou...
Cow-Calf Market Outlook
The heat of summer is now transitioning into more moderate temperatures, and the next two months have the busiest marketing periods of the year for replacement cattle. Weather always influences the replacement cattle market, and the primary grain belt in the Southern Plains, where many cattle a...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.2825/bushel, up $0.0075 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.0325/bushel, down $0.0375 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.19/bushel, up $0.015 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $371/short ton, down $1.4 fr...
Cold Storage Report Summary and Analysis
August 2026 total red meat and poultry stocks totaled 2.01 billion pounds, down 0.5 percent from July versus the typical 0.3 percent monthly decline, but 0.9 percent above August 2025 levels. Total red meat stocks rose 0.8 percent for the month despite typically declining 0.1 percent and were 8...
CFTC COT Report Analysis
Managed money was a slight net seller across agricultural markets for the second straight week, selling a net 3,200 contracts through Tuesday’s reporting deadline and reducing the combined net-long position to 1.017 million contracts. Despite the modest overall selling, soybeans and soyme...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.275/bushel, down $0.015 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.07/bushel, down $0.015 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.175/bushel, down $0.005 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $372.4/short ton, up $1.8 fr...
Market Commentary: Markets Await Xi-Trump Meeting Outcome, Export Sales Disappoint
What You Need to Know Today: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at the White House today as part of a highly anticipated three-day visit to the United States, marking his first visit to Washington in eleven years. Trade is expected to feature prominently in discussions with President Trump,...
Livestock Round Up: Quick Hits – Elections, Beef Imports, Xi Meeting and ICE
Officials from the Trump Administration are reportedly considering rolling back the Administration’s beef import plan as there is a growing panic about the midterm elections. The proposal to reduce the 300,000 MT of beef imports – 100,000 MT for September – is being discussed...
The Farm at the Edge of the World: American Agriculture and a Global Reckoning
Key Takeaways: The United States shifted from a decades-long agricultural trade surplus to a growing deficit, reaching roughly forty-one to forty-four billion dollars in recent fiscal years, a structural change rather than a cyclical dip. Brazil has overtaken the United States as the leading s...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.29/bushel, down $0.0775 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.085/bushel, down $0.0875 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.18/bushel, down $0.075 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $370.6/short ton, down $0.1...
Market Commentary: The Devil Is in the Details
Markets have no shortage of headlines today, but the reaction depends on what sits underneath them. Strong economic growth comes with renewed inflation pressure. Higher crude inventories do little to solve tight diesel supplies. Rain is delaying one crop while helping another, and trade expecta...
DDGS Price Outlook Turns Bullish
Key Takeaways: DDGS prices have been pushing higher this summer as corn, soybean meal, and other feedstuff values have surged amid strong export demand and supply concerns. WPI’s models anticipate additional gains for DDGS values heading into early 2027, with FOB plant prices reach...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.3675/bushel, down $0.0625 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.1725/bushel, down $0.095 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.255/bushel, down $0.025 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $370.7/short ton, up $2...
Market Commentary: Politics Drives Turnaround Tuesday
What You Need to Know Today: Cattle futures crashed on social media rumors that ICE raided one or possibly three fed cattle packing plants in Kansas Monday night or Tuesday morning. Operations at one plant have been disrupted and production curtailed. Outcomes for shipping via the Strait of Ho...
Soymeal Holds Its Value in an Oil-Driven Crush Market
Key Takeaways: The expansion of biofuel-driven soybean crushing was expected to increase soymeal supplies and pressure prices as soyoil became a larger driver of crush economics, but soymeal has instead retained considerable value. Strong domestic and global feed demand has helped absorb addit...
Livestock Industry Margins
Beef packer margins improved to $176/head last week, up $19 from the prior week as the Choice cutout edged higher while fed cattle prices eased. The cutout rose to $376/cwt while fed cattle slipped to $222/cwt, modestly widening packer profits. Margins remain well above year-ago levels despite...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.43/bushel, up $0.155 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.2675/bushel, up $0.125 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.28/bushel, up $0.245 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $368.4/short ton, up $9.8 from yes...
Market Commentary: CBOT Posts Bullish Technical Day ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting
What You Need to Know Today: Grain markets were sharply higher overnight and through the day session as the concerning wet weather pattern persists over the Midwest. Grain traders – and soybean market players in particular – will be closely parsing both what is said and unsaid from...
Senate Moves Farm Bill, but That May Be Not Enough
Last week, the Senate Ag Committee passed the farm bill on a party-line vote upon the return of Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), who missed the vote on 6 August (see WPI coverage here) when it failed by a similar party-line vote, 10-11. Democrats held the...
CFTC COT Report Analysis
Managed money was a slight net seller across agricultural markets in the latest CFTC report, with funds selling a net 3,000 contracts through last Tuesday’s reporting deadline and reducing their combined net-long position to 1.021 million contracts. Despite the modest overall selling, pos...
Cattle on Feed - Sep 2026
U.S. Cattle on Feed totaled 11.2 million head on September 1, 2026 – which was 1 percent above September 1, 2025. Placements in feedlots during August totaled 1.62 million head - 9 percent below 2025. Marketings of fed cattle during August totaled 1.52 million head - 3 percent below...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.275/bushel, down $0.03 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.1425/bushel, down $0.1275 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.035/bushel, down $0.1625 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $358.6/short ton, down $1...
Market Commentary: Soymeal Pulls Back, Bullish Cattle on Feed
What You Need to Know Today: The September Cattle on Feed report was strongly bullish, with both the 1 September on-feed inventory and August placements coming in well below average expectations and below the bottom of their respective pre-report estimate ranges. China continues to buy U...
Cattle on Feed Report: Lowest August Placements and Marketings on Record
USDA’s September cattle on feed report was released Friday, with the total number of cattle in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity amounting to 11.2 million head, 101 percent of last year. Placements dropped in August to their lowest total for the month since records began in 1996...
U.S. Goat Meat Market: Import Growth Outpaces a Slowly Rebuilding Domestic Herd
Key Takeaways: The U.S. herd is stabilizing, but growth remains modest. Total goat inventory rose 1 percent in 2026, while meat-goat numbers increased 2 percent, which is not enough to materially reduce import dependence. Domestic slaughter is rising from a low base. Commercial slaughter incre...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.305/bushel, down $0.0375 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.27/bushel, down $0.0375 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.1975/bushel, down $0.0075 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $371.3/short ton, up $5...
Market Commentary: The Dust Settles
Given yesterday’s headlines, today’s market action may not be what many expected. The dollar is little changed, crude oil is pulling back and stocks are trading higher. Crude may be the biggest piece of today’s reversal. Saudi Arabia is offering additional crude to Asian buyer...
Livestock Round Up: USDA Plans to Expand Small and Very Small Beef Processors
Under an Executive Order on 4 September, USDA announced $50 million in new funding to help states establish or expand meat and poultry inspection programs as part of an effort to increase processing options for livestock producers. It’s called the Stand-Up Program, which will help states...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.3425/bushel, down $0.015 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.3075/bushel, up $0.0225 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.205/bushel, up $0.0175 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $365.6/short ton, up $0.2 f...
Market Commentary: Markets Digest Fed Hike as Trade Takes Center Stage
What You Need to Know Today: As was widely expected, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points to a target range of 3.75–4.00 percent, its first rate increase since 2023, as policymakers respond to persistent inflation pressures. The Fed also signaled that additi...
USDA Reports - The Real Divide in American Agriculture Isn't Who Has the Data — It's Who Can Afford to Read It
Key Takeaways: USDA data access is equal; the ability to use it is not. Larger operations can afford experts who turn public reports into business decisions. Analytical capacity is the true advantage. Forecasts matter only when converted into profit, purchasing, and risk-management decisions...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.3575/bushel, up $0.025 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.285/bushel, up $0.065 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.1875/bushel, up $0.145 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $365.4/short ton, up $9.2 from...
Market Commentary: Soymeal Prices Reach Two-Year High
What You Need to Know Today: Oil prices extended their rally Tuesday as disruptions to global supplies intensified. Saudi Arabia halted crude loadings at its Yanbu Red Sea port following the shutdown of the East-West Pipeline, while protests by oil-sector security workers forced the suspension...
WASDE Livestock and Meat Price Forecasts
The USDA has lowered its 2026 red meat production forecasts while leaving poultry almost unchanged. Beef is now projected at 24.877 billion pounds, 90 million pounds below August on slower Q3 fed cattle slaughter and lighter dressed weights, along with an anticipated counterseasonal cutback in...
Livestock Industry Margins
Beef packer margins deteriorated to $156.75/head last week, down $46.05 from the prior week as fed cattle prices strengthened while gains in the Choice cutout were comparatively modest. The Choice cutout increased...
Summary of Futures
Dec 26 Corn closed at $5.3325/bushel, up $0.03 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Wheat closed at $7.22/bushel, down $0.0325 from yesterday's close. Nov 26 Soybeans closed at $13.0425/bushel, up $0.0775 from yesterday's close. Dec 26 Soymeal closed at $356.2/short ton, up $3.4 fro...