Traditionally, farm bills have been the paragon of congressional bipartisan comity. However, that has seemingly come to an end. The 2014 Farm Bill took two years to pass, largely due to the dairy and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provisions in the bill. As previously noted (see Ag Perspectives, 12 April), those same two issues are front and center again, and the farm bill is a partisan issue. Yesterday House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway (R-Texas) unveiled his draft of the 2018 Farm Bill. This followed a Monday letter from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California) to all Democrats (also noted in yesterday’s report) urging them to “oppose the farm bill.” The letter specifically s...
What You Need to Know Today: USDA reports are delayed until Tuesday due to the federal holiday on Monday. Over the weekend, President Trump announced a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Russia warmly welcomed and confirmed this ceasefire by conducting more strikes against Ukraine. Specific...
On Saturday, 10 October, at a campaign rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, President Trump said that the U.S. and Mexico would come to terms on a new trade deal, and he said Canada does not need to be part of the deal. Trump called the coming agreement with Mexico “great” but gave no d...
Key Takeaways: The United States has steadily lost global wheat export market share since the 1970s, falling from the world's leading exporter to a projected fifth place in 2026/27. The rapid expansion of Black Sea wheat exports, driven by improved productivity and export infrastructure, has r...
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.