Brokers on the floor used to execute trades in person, but for one trading firm, the USDA’s WASDE report from July brought back those memories. Betsy Jibben with Ag Market Consulting takes us behind the scenes on report day with AgMarket.net.
What is WASDE?
WASDE stands for World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates. It’s a monthly report published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and it’s one of the most influential reports in global agriculture. It’s released around the 10th or 12th of each month.
What It Does
The WASDE report provides comprehensive forecasts and analysis of supply and demand for:
- Major U.S. and global crops (like corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice, etc.)
- Livestock and dairy
- Trade and ending stocks (what’s left over after usage and exports)
Why It Matters
- Traders, farmers, agribusinesses, and policymakers utilize it to inform their decisions.
- It impacts commodity prices immediately after release, especially if there are surprises.
- It also sets expectations for production, consumption, and export trends.
Related Stories
Stay alert for trade announcements—especially border reopening timelines, tariff threats, and developments in Brazil’s export flows.
Margin Protection and the new MCO add county-level margin tools — with earlier price discovery, input cost triggers, and high subsidy rates — to complement on-farm risk plans for 2026.
For aging operators and their rural neighbors, staying socially engaged is a practical strategy to preserve decision-making capacity and farm vitality.
Set targets and use forwards, futures, or options to manage downside while preserving room for rallies.
Bangladesh’s buying surge offers temporary relief for U.S. farmers facing weaker Chinese demand, highlighting how global politics can reshape export outlets overnight.
Rising demand for Comfort Colors t-shirts reinforces the pull for U.S.-grown cotton, linking rural fiber production to a fast-growing mainstream apparel brand.
American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) economist Bernt Nelson provides an updated outlook on the current U.S. cattle market.
Sen. Roger Marshall: ‘I’m Begging Everyone to Take a Breath’ on High Beef Prices, New Import Markets
Sen. Roger Marshall explains which types of beef are imported into the United States, how there’s room for new imports, and logical reasons for current high prices.
