Back when the U.S. was the major supplier of wheat, corn and soybeans in the world market, currency relationships had only a marginal impact on the volumes of its grain exports. Times have changed.The U.S. dollar is the principal currency of world trade, the benchmark against which other currencies are measured. As everyone knows, it has also been on a roll. The U.S. Dollar Index measures its comparative strength against a basket of other major currencies. Since mid-2011, the index has gained about 34 percent, which is a huge move by foreign exchange standards. With most of that strength developed over the past 12 months, the index is up about 22 percent since August 2014. There are several factors behind this. Broadly speaking, the strong...
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...
Key Takeaways: With the fall calf run now upon us, producers are finally getting a glimpse of what their realized profits will be for 2026. Some producers may have already obtained a strong estimate of 2026 revenues, especially if calves were forward sold in, for example, the mid-summer...
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.