The irony is that when non-GMO becomes commoditized, organic product companies like Amy's and Earth's Best that are pushing for GMO labeling will eventually lose their premium in the marketplace. GMO-Nuts Grape-Nuts cereal by Post Foods has become the latest product gaming the non-GMO labeling scheme. Like chicken labeled as produced without growth hormones, marketing a cereal as non-GMO when it only contains wheat and barley is designed to exploit consumer ignorance. Food companies believe that food biotechnology has become sufficiently defamed by the media that the non-GMO label now has sufficient value in the marketplace. Grape-Nuts were novel when introduced in 1897, but manage less than 1 percent market share today. Basically, the pr...
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...
Key Market Insights Macro markets delivered a full whipsaw today. Early in the session, crude oil had rallied back above $100/barrel as traders priced renewed concern over the U.S.-Iran standoff and potential supply risk through the Strait of Hormuz. That strength helped pull grains off their o...
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.