Regional News Last week’s commodity trade was executed under the duress of global market selloffs driven by the spreading coronavirus. This week’s trade is starting off on a firmer note with equities firming and helping reassure commodity markets. Today starts China’s ability to waive import tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods, which may start to alter global trade flows, depending on how liberal the government is with the waivers. Most of Europe’s winter crops are emerging/have emerged from dormancy due to a warmer-than-normal winter. The rate of emergence is about a month earlier than typical, leaving the crops vulnerable to a late freeze/frost. Analysts in Romania report that a recent cold snap in th...
What You Need to Know Today: President Trump claimed the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was over, as both sides accused one another of violating the terms of the agreement. Commercial vessels are increasingly steering clear of the Strait of Hormuz as security risks escalate following Iran...
Key Takeaways: The CME Group is launching new 90 percent Lean Beef and 50 percent Lean Beef futures and options contracts in July. There are five key factors that must be present in physical markets and futures contract specifications for futures contracts to become successful. The two l...
Russian Grain Markets: 29 June-3 July 2026 The new marketing season has officially begun in Russia, although bearish sentiment has been concentrated in the southern regions closest to the Black Sea ports, where export demand has been weakest. Delays in grain deliveries to inland elevators have...
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.