World Perspectives

Unbridled Confidence; Good Governance

Unbridled Confidence As President Trump’s tariffs were about to go into effect on Canada and Mexico, a farmer representative gave assurance that they would not go into effect. He was confident that there would be a deal. Now the January Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer on U.S. farm sentiment shows a 5-percentage point increase to a score of 141 indicating increased farm confidence in both current conditions and future expectations. Farm finance conditions technically reflect a recession, with more farmers this month reporting challenges in paying off operating loans. They also expressed concern about threats from trading partners. And yet their confidence rose.  Good Governance U.S. federal agencies are under assa...

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Export Sales

Export Sales and Shipments for March 14-20, 2025.   Wheat: Net sales of 100,300 metric tons (MT) for 2024/2025 were down noticeably from the previous week and down 65 percent from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 428,700 MT were down 9 percent from the previous week, but...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 25 Corn closed at $4.5/bushel, down $0.0125 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Wheat closed at $5.32/bushel, down $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Soybeans closed at $10.1675/bushel, up $0.1575 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Soymeal closed at $294.5/short ton, up $0.9 fr...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Speculating About Monday

Futures traded bearishly mixed. The start of the trade war, the possible hiatus in the Ukraine war, static weather conditions, and major USDA reports to be issued on Monday all keep traders in a cautious position.  Today’s USDA Export Sales report covering last week’s activity...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Sales

Export Sales and Shipments for March 14-20, 2025.   Wheat: Net sales of 100,300 metric tons (MT) for 2024/2025 were down noticeably from the previous week and down 65 percent from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 428,700 MT were down 9 percent from the previous week, but...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 25 Corn closed at $4.5/bushel, down $0.0125 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Wheat closed at $5.32/bushel, down $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Soybeans closed at $10.1675/bushel, up $0.1575 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Soymeal closed at $294.5/short ton, up $0.9 fr...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Speculating About Monday

Futures traded bearishly mixed. The start of the trade war, the possible hiatus in the Ukraine war, static weather conditions, and major USDA reports to be issued on Monday all keep traders in a cautious position.  Today’s USDA Export Sales report covering last week’s activity...

livestock

Livestock Roundup: Hogs and Pigs Report

USDA released its quarterly Hogs and Pigs report today. The inventory of all hogs and pigs on 1 March was 74.5 million head. This was down slightly from 1 March 2024 and down 1 percent from 1 December.   Breeding inventory, at 5.98 million head, was down 1 percent from last year, and...

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From WPI Consulting

Weighing in on strategic realignment

WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.

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