Discounted Rainforest Europeans are opposing a free trade agreement with Mercosur, in large part because they argue Brazil does too little to stop destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Now Brazilian Environment Minister Ricardo Salles has offered an economic solution. If his country is offered $1 billion, he commits to reducing deforestation by 40 percent. There is nothing to otherwise prevent Brazil from exploiting its natural resources the same way most older nations have done eons ago. It is a pretty good value proposition. The program monitoring deforestation in Brazil calculates that 11,088 square kilometers were knocked down in 2020. Forty-percent would save 4,435.2 square kilometers (443,520 hectares; 1,095,961 acres), at a cost of...
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...
Russian Grain Markets: 29 June-3 July 2026 The new marketing season has officially begun in Russia, although bearish sentiment has been concentrated in the southern regions closest to the Black Sea ports, where export demand has been weakest. Delays in grain deliveries to inland elevators have...
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.