Chicago futures saw the December corn contract lose 8.5 cents today and November soybeans lost 10¾ cents reportedly based on uncertainty about exports out of the Gulf due to damage from hurricane Ida. There was notably less concern in 2005 about exports out of NOLA when hurricane Katrina hit the region. Chicago futures remained steady for several days after the storm. Commentary at the time focused on how the moisture moving northward from the storm would help to finish summer crops. There was discussion immediately post-Katrina about adverse impacts on the cotton crop in the deep south. There has been similar discussion the past two days about the Delta’s cotton crop being at a critical maturation stage. However, ICE De...
From WPI Consulting
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.