General Comments USDA's Farm Service Agency (FAS) released its acreage data collected from farm program compliance and crop insurance at 5 AM EDT, in time to catch the last portion of the overnight session. The market was expecting numbers suggesting that USDA's estimates will be lowered in the next WASDE due on 11 October, so grain and soy prices were already higher when the acreage data was released. The FSA numbers did not disappoint. They were widely interpreted to mean that USDA would lower its October estimates of planted and harvested acreage and presumably its production estimates, too.This was enough to carry the price rally over into the day session, but by mid-session the market ran out of steam. Selling, lead by funds, wipe...
As predicted, the Federal Reserve held rates steady at the last meeting before the midterm elections, likely in part because of the election (see WPI 19 October and 22 September). The decision comes at the tail end of a midterm election cycle that has been marked by the two parties campaigning...
Key Takeaways: WPI’s new EU rapeseed crushing margin models point to weaker processing returns over the next four months due to higher rapeseed procurement costs and weaker product values. Statistical forecasts call for German crushing margins to decline from €181/MT to €...
Key Takeaways: The tariff burden rose sharply in 2025 and 2026: the effective rate on imports in HTS Chapters 1–24 increased from 1.53 percent in 2024 to 6.11 percent in 2025, before averaging 5.68 percent in January–August 2026. Headline rates tell only part of the story: exemptio...
From WPI Consulting
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.