As pointed out by WPI contributor Jody Lefcourt, this is only the third time since the year 2000 that corn has been below $3.30/bushel. But agricultural commodity prices have thus far only fallen modestly relative to the scale of the current global disease and economic crisis. Moreover, overall food demand is unlikely to fall, and may actually increase (see COVID Analogies and Outlook). In a solid analysis by AgriCensus, it is noted that the larger contributor to the large agricultural commodity price drop during the Great Recession was the petroleum market rather than the larger economy. From that standpoint, it is the fall in demand for ethanol and biodiesel plus negative returns to distillers that is imposing downward price pressure.&nb...
Veterans Day offers a moment to pause and recognize the people behind the uniform. To all who have served and the families who have supported them, thank you for your dedication, courage and sacrifice. Markets had plenty of headlines to digest today, and grains offered some encouraging follow-t...
Key Takeaways: The recent pullback in crude oil and other energy markets has left many in the ag and biofuels communities wondering what it means for ethanol and biodiesel prices and profit margins. WPI’s research indicates a weak but still significant link between ethanol and crud...
Key Takeaways: Alabama and Louisiana have requested partial waivers of 2027 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requirements, arguing that rising compliance costs are contributing to higher fuel prices and economic hardship. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry is encouraging neighboring states to join th...
From WPI Consulting
Communicating importance of value-added products
Facing increasing pressure to quantify the value of export promotion efforts to investors, a U.S. industry organization retained WPI to develop a quantitative model that better communicated the importance of exports. The resulting model concluded that value-added meat exports contributed $0.45 cents per bushel to the price of corn, increasing support for that sector’s financial support of WPI’s client. In addition to serving the red meat industry with this type of analysis, WPI has generated similar deliverables for the U.S. soybean and poultry/egg industries.