There are several pundits predicting this is the year that evidences the rise in consumption of plant-based proteins and the end of meat from animals. These same prognosticators may have made the same forecasts last year, and the year before. Maybe but the dynamic is unlikely to be true for developing countries. Overall global consumption is volatile. Since 2013, world poultry consumption has increased by 18.5 percent. Beef consumption has only increased 3.1 percent and pork is down 0.07 percent, but those numbers are skewed by swine fever in China, the largest consumer of pork, and the high cost of beef that is not even consumed in the most populated part of the world, India. The expansion in U.S. beef consumption since 2013 is slig...
What You Need to Know Today: Markets got a surprise with a corn yield of 181.2 bushels/acre in the October WASDE, above the average estimate of 177.6 bushels/acre and up from USDA’s September estimate of 178.5 bushels/acre. Although stronger demand is expected to absorb some of the addit...
Key Takeaways: On Friday afternoon, President Trump announced that Russia will “immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel” to the United States. The deal, typical of this administration, is light on details but promises an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 m...
The USDA has lowered its 2026 red meat production forecasts slightly while forecasting a slight increase in broiler production. Beef is now projected at 24.802 billion pounds, 75 million pounds less than in September. Cow slaughter is expected to be up; however, this will be offset by lower ste...
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.