Many are calling for paradigm shifts in most societal functions and a lot of changes are already happening, but government will slow farming’s ability to react. Food Retail: Over half the money families spent on food was for meals prepared away from home. Amid stay at home orders, food delivery has turned from a money-losing proposition to a necessity. Grocery stores have gone from an after-thought to one of the few places people can go and risk catching the virus. Large gatherings of people such as conventions and sporting events may not return for a year, meaning less demand for everything from hot dogs to banquet-sized rib roasts. Sneeze guards will not be enough to save salad bars. Food retail may be the hardest hit by the crisis...
What You Need to Know Today: Traders are increasingly focused on next Wednesday’s August WASDE report, with corn and soybean yield estimates expected to drive the next major move in grain markets. Recent crop condition declines and late-July heat have increased uncertainty around USDA&rs...
Yesterday the Senate Agriculture Committee held its markup of the “skinny” farm bill, and it was derailed over Democratic opposition to plans for imposing food stamp costs on state governments. The Democrats pushed back on a provision that required states to pick up a larger share o...
Key Takeaways: WPI’s 2025/26 corn export models continue to reflect strong international demand and put the total marketing year volume slightly above USDA’s estimates. Strong old crop corn exports are offset by weaker feed and residual use, leaving ending stocks slightly ele...
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.