Russian Grain Markets: 17–21 August 2026 The Russian grain market continued to decline during the third week of August as the Black Sea blockade severely disrupted export logistics. The resulting loss of export capacity is pressuring domestic prices and increasing storage concerns as the new crop enters the market. Prices have returned to around 2019 levels, although production costs are now significantly higher. The collapse in export logistics remains the primary bearish factor. Despite falling exports, the Russian government has kept export duties in place. Russian grain supplies remain ample, and exports continue through alternative channels. July grain exports totaled 2.3 MMT, including 1.7 MMT of wheat. During the first 20 days...
What You Need to Know Today: New World screwworm is back in the headlines after new cases were found in a hunter-harvested elk in Texas and a beef cow in New Mexico. The detection in wildlife could further complicate containment efforts, as implementing effective biosecurity measures is consid...
Key Takeaways: Dry bulk markets remain mixed with Capesize rates turning around from their recent weakness and posting solid gains on improved Chinese demand. Panamax vessels, on the other hand, saw rates decline amid greater tonnage availability in the South Atlantic and falling U.S. Gu...
Key Takeaways: Demand and capacity decide where milk growth lands. Italian cheese is up 4.2 percent in 2026, and milk output is growing fastest in Kansas, South Dakota and Texas, where the new plants are located. Price spreads decide where the marginal milk goes. The Class IV premium over Clas...
From WPI Consulting
Communicating importance of value-added products
Facing increasing pressure to quantify the value of export promotion efforts to investors, a U.S. industry organization retained WPI to develop a quantitative model that better communicated the importance of exports. The resulting model concluded that value-added meat exports contributed $0.45 cents per bushel to the price of corn, increasing support for that sector’s financial support of WPI’s client. In addition to serving the red meat industry with this type of analysis, WPI has generated similar deliverables for the U.S. soybean and poultry/egg industries.