Hog prices are about to hit the summer doldrums, but how will they compare to last year’s levels? Meanwhile, PEDv is making a comeback in Canada, the EPA releases ethanol volumes, and the broiler industry deals with woody breast syndrome. What’s Ahead for Hog Prices? The 1 July Hogs and Pigs report that showed a record swine herd is starting to be seen in the market as a catalyst to the normal seasonal swings. It is the beginning of the third quarter, which signals the summer doldrums for hog prices. Hogs were one of the top performing commodities of the second quarter, up 38 percent in price during the entire 13 weeks and 59 percent higher from trough to peak.Last year the hog market saw prices drop about 45 percent from the end of the s...
What You Need to Know Today: A third U.S. border crossing (Columbus, New Mexico) has reopened to Mexican cattle imports following nearly two years of restrictions related to New World screwworm. The reopening could gradually improve feeder cattle availability, although more than 60 confi...
Yesterday, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) released a new report of negotiated cash purchases of cattle under the mandatory price report. The report included Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. The goal of the report was to solve the confidentiality issues e...
Key Takeaways: U.S. soybean crushing began in 1911 and saw its most rapid expansion during the 1930s amid the broader agricultural and technology revolutions of the time. After peaking in the early 2000s, the soybean crushing industry went through a downturn as poor crush margins forced...
From WPI Consulting
Forecasting developments in production agriculture
On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.