Regional Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA The Muslin holy month of Ramadan ends this week and is followed by the Eid al Fitr celebrations (the celebration of breaking the fast) which will be for one to four days depending on the country. Very soon everyone will be back to normal working hours and the MENA grain business will pick up once again. A court in Egypt has upheld the ruling stopping the container vessel Ever Given from leaving Egypt. A further hearing has been scheduled for 22 May. Egypt is looking for $900 million in compensation for the problems caused by the blockage of the Suez Canal. Pakistan has “officially” decided that it must import 4 MMT of wheat this year to meet all local needs. The c...
What You Need to Know Today: Markets got a surprise with a corn yield of 181.2 bushels/acre in the October WASDE, above the average estimate of 177.6 bushels/acre and up from USDA’s September estimate of 178.5 bushels/acre. Although stronger demand is expected to absorb some of the addit...
The USDA has lowered its 2026 red meat production forecasts slightly while forecasting a slight increase in broiler production. Beef is now projected at 24.802 billion pounds, 75 million pounds less than in September. Cow slaughter is expected to be up; however, this will be offset by lower ste...
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.