The CBOT was mostly lower on Tuesday as the strong planting progress reflected in Monday’s Crop Progress data eased many lingering concerns about the U.S. 2023 spring crop outlook (except for spring wheat). That, combined with a surprise cancellation of corn export sales, sent CBOT futures lower with funds again emerging as cautious net sellers. KCBT wheat and the livestock markets were the only major contracts to see significant gains with drought and smaller production forecasts driving the wheat market higher while better support in the cash markets supported livestock futures. It looks like this week’s pre-WASDE trade will be more volatile than usual with wide-ranging forecasts for the new crop balance sheets. Analysts and...
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.