The lame duck session of Congress continues to work on a funding bill to meet the 11 December deadline when the current continuing resolution expires. Moreover, it appears that a bipartisan effort at another round of COVID relief could also be a part of the deal. A group of lawmakers from both chambers and both parties released a draft of a $908 billion aid package that is a compromise between the House’s $3 trillion HEROES Act, which it has already passed, and the Senate’s preference for a $500 billion package. The proposal has been endorsed by the House Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of 50 members that has been pushing a $1.5 trillion compromise bill since September when it became clear the House bill would die in...
What You Need to Know Today: President Trump claimed the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was over, as both sides accused one another of violating the terms of the agreement. Commercial vessels are increasingly steering clear of the Strait of Hormuz as security risks escalate following Iran...
Key Takeaways: The CME Group is launching new 90 percent Lean Beef and 50 percent Lean Beef futures and options contracts in July. There are five key factors that must be present in physical markets and futures contract specifications for futures contracts to become successful. The two l...
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.