World Perspectives

Codifying Gains; Saving Forests; From Importer to Exporter; Arctic Fruit

Codifying Gains  American farmers are said to be politically conservative. After all, they tend to vote for Republicans in large numbers. But even Republicans are not the budget hawks they once were. Instead, politics has solely become who gets the largess, not whether it builds more debt. Farmers have received tens of billions of dollars over the past two years as compensation for the trade war with China, and then for adverse impacts from the pandemic. Some of this money arrived at the same time commodity prices were rising and so net farm income rose by 43 percent in 2020. If there are no more supplemental payments, farm income will drop in 2021. Consequently, some farmers are not asking for more temporary payments, they want to lo...

Related Articles
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Perfect Micro-Storm for Grains

The CBOT was higher on Tuesday in a continuation of the post-WASDE exuberance. Rather than USDA’s world balance sheets providing a reason to rally, however, it was the Crop Progress report, rumors of new export business, and progress in a U.S.-China trade agreement that motivated the day&...

biofuel energy

Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel Supply Down on First Half of Year

U.S. imports of biodiesel and renewable diesel significantly decreased in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in previous years. This decline is primarily due to the loss of tax credits for imported biofuels.   Additionally, domestic consumption is also down. In Janua...

No Tariffs, No Reforms; Nōgyō for PM; Turnabout is Fair Play

No Tariffs, No Reforms U.S. President Donald Trump has urged the EU to join him in imposing tariffs on China and India for purchasing Russian oil. EU officials have signaled they are disinclined to use tariffs, but may be willing to impose sanctions on the companies that transact the oil. Sanct...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Perfect Micro-Storm for Grains

The CBOT was higher on Tuesday in a continuation of the post-WASDE exuberance. Rather than USDA’s world balance sheets providing a reason to rally, however, it was the Crop Progress report, rumors of new export business, and progress in a U.S.-China trade agreement that motivated the day&...

biofuel energy

Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel Supply Down on First Half of Year

U.S. imports of biodiesel and renewable diesel significantly decreased in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in previous years. This decline is primarily due to the loss of tax credits for imported biofuels.   Additionally, domestic consumption is also down. In Janua...

No Tariffs, No Reforms; Nōgyō for PM; Turnabout is Fair Play

No Tariffs, No Reforms U.S. President Donald Trump has urged the EU to join him in imposing tariffs on China and India for purchasing Russian oil. EU officials have signaled they are disinclined to use tariffs, but may be willing to impose sanctions on the companies that transact the oil. Sanct...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

WPI Crop Progress and Conditions App (Updated 16 September)

Update for 28 April 2025: Last year, users pointed out differences between the 5-year averages reported in this app and what USDA estimates in its weekly report. The difference exists because WPI calculates average based on the last 5 years of observations for the current week. In cases where o...

Image
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.

Search World Perspectives

Sign In to World Perspectives

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up