Last week’s WASDE raised the outlook for corn used in ethanol production by 50 million bushels based on September data from USDA’s Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production report and weekly ethanol production data as reported by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) for the month of October. Since mid-September, ethanol production has exceeded the same week in 2020, averaging 11 percent higher. With rising gasoline prices, the blending economics of ethanol improved, creating more demand for ethanol. At the retail level, October was the highest monthly gasoline price since 2014, but the outlook is for prices to decline from those peaks. The wholesale conventional gasoline prices have already started to trend down.&...
What You Need to Know Today: Wheat prices surged after Ukrainian strikes on Russian vessels and infrastructure disrupted grain shipments, halting traffic through the Sea of Azov, Kerch Strait, and Black Sea. The July WASDE report offered a modestly supportive outlook for corn, wheat, and soybe...
The trade deficit in goods and services came in at $77.6 billion in May, slightly smaller than the consensus estimate of $78.4 billion. After a few months of relative stability, the trade deficit widened in May. The increase in the deficit for the month was due to both a rise in imports, which...
Every June combines begin their annual sweep across the winter wheat fields of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. At the same time, USDA releases its Acreage and Crop Progress reports, providing the first comprehensive look at the size and condition of the crop. Most years the reports simply confirm...
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.