USDA yesterday released its annual updated long-term projections for U.S. production and global trade of all major commodities. The projections are in many respects an exercise of futility, since it is almost assured the projections will not be accurate because of the vagaries of weather and technology. Nevertheless, they do serve a useful purpose in providing some sense of what the future may hold.There are a few things in USDA's soybean projections that are questionable. Among these are the following: Soybean Yields Versus Corn Yields USDA's long-term projections call for average U.S. corn yields to grow faster than average soybean yields. The data forecast average U.S. corn yields being 3.73 times the average soybean yield in 2018-22...
What You Need to Know Today: Cattle futures extended their sharp selloff Friday as weakening cash cattle prices, deteriorating feedlot profitability, and reduced packer demand continued to weigh on the market. The inability of futures to sustain a rally following last week's bullish Cattle on...
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 €...
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.