The two factors driving farm financial health are farm income and borrowing costs. With farm real estate debt having increased substantially since 2008, that debt burden will carry over into 2014 and beyond.USDA released its December farm price index report yesterday. The preliminary All Farm Products Index of Prices Received by Farmers in December at 180 percent (based on 1990-1992=100) was a decline of four points (2.2 percent) from November. The Crop Index is six points (3.1 percent) lower and the Livestock Index is down one point (0.6 percent). Decreased marketing of corn, soybeans, cattle and calves more than offset increased monthly marketing of wheat, milk, broilers and cotton.The Prices Paid by Farmers index is down by one point fro...
What You Need to Know Today: The corn and soybean markets closed slightly higher in low-volume trade. The wheat market was mixed, with HRW continuing its downward trek on improved moisture. As expected, the bearish cattle on feed report drove down cattle prices and pulled hogs down with it. Mi...
USDA’s monthly cattle on feed report was released today. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity amounted to 11.6 million head, 102 percent of last year. Source: USDA, WPI Placements were up, but part of that is attributable to persistent drought c...
Let’s return briefly to the fake meat hype cycle, now sitting somewhere in a dusty corner of your mind, not entirely forgotten. What happened to all those products, known as plant-based alternative proteins? They were supposed to be as good as real meat—cheaper, more environmentally...
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.