The CBOT was relatively calm on Friday despite the ongoing meltdown in macroeconomic markets. Corn traded both sides of unchanged before ending fractionally lower while wheat futures pushed lower in “give up” selling after the markets failed to do much this week. The soy complex was again the upside leader with soybeans and soymeal taking the lead while soyoil stumbled lower. Fresh news was light for the day and there was a definite sense that traders are exiting positions and are more focused on Christmas shopping than trading. Only the cattle and hog markets managed to elicit much excitement to end the week, but hogs did so in brilliant fashion with a $4+ rally. The South American weather remains concerning for the Arge...
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.