With most outside markets trading higher today, grain and soy markets seemed poised for another “Turnaround Tuesday” rally effort. The best the corn market could do was a 2-3 cent trading range from which the March contract closed a quarter-cent higher. General Comments China’s manufacturing index fell to 49.0 in February, down from 49.4 in January. The decline was larger than expected, pushing the Shanghai stock index lower. However, this prompted China’s national bank to lower the amount of reserves that banks are required to hold, thus making more money available for lending. Other Asian and European stock markets were cheered by this, and indexes climbed higher. U.S. stock markets were buoyed by more signs that the U.S. economy is imp...
What You Need to Know Today: Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans continued to accelerate, with USDA reporting another 558 KMT sold to China and 236 KMT to unknown destinations. Combined with sales announced Wednesday and Thursday, the latest purchases bring the three-day total to approximately...
As fall begins, wild migratory birds are starting their seasonal migration. That has the industry and government officials worried about the potential spread, again, of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Some members of Congress have called for the United States to be prepared for a pote...
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.