The responses and repercussions of the COVID-19 spread continue at a breakneck speed, one of the latest being the indefinite shut down of the JBS pork plant in Sioux Falls, Iowa which has a 19,000 head per day slaughter capacity. This comes after a temporary shutdown at the Tyson pork plant in Columbus Junction, Iowa (10,100 head/day) and the JBS plant in Souderton, Pennsylvania (1,350 head/day). That is about 6 percent (based on 5.3 days of operation) of the January slaughter rates. In Congress, the Senate is in pro forma session and on Thursday last week Republicans proposed adding $250 billion for the small business paycheck protection program, but Democrats wanted to add new funding for hospitals, localities and additional funds for SN...
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.