Regional News Perhaps the biggest news in the world – and especially Black Sea – grain markets is Monday’s shipment of 26 KMT of corn from Ukraine via the Black Sea. This is the first sea-based export of grain by Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February 2022. The vessel is destined for Tripoli, Lebanon and will reportedly soon be followed by multiple other vessels carrying grain to global destinations. Reports late last week indicated there were 17 ships in the Ukrainian Port of Odessa, including 16 loaded with 580 KMT of grain. Insurer Lloyd’s of London said it is ready to insure the export of Ukrainian grain vessels across the Black Sea. Insurance premiums are now 5 percent of the value of...
What You Need to Know Today: There has already been a strong run of flash soybean sales announcements in recent weeks, but more than 1.4 MMT reported this morning is an exceptionally large single-day total with major implications for the market. If the sales to China and unknown destinations w...
In agriculture and food processing, we think a lot about infrastructure: transportation and storage, processing and packaging, distribution and delivery. It is a physical system of roads, railroads, and rivers; concrete and steel storage; processing plants, warehouses, and machinery; and, event...
Key Takeaways: The Panama Canal’s draft restrictions and decreasing rainfall outlook are driving big moves in dry bulk markets this week. Panamax markets are sharply lower as the economics of moving freight across the Canal are deteriorating rapidly, leading to support in Supramax vessels...
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.