Alcohol production, whether for beverage use or fuel, is an important consumer of grain. Just like taxes, governments tend to impose higher taxes and higher import duties on so-called “sin goods” like alcoholic beverages than on other products. Moreover, like agricultural products, alcoholic beverages are some of the first products facing punitive duties in trade disputes that involve retaliation. The U.S. and EU recently agreed to temporarily suspend the 25 percent duties imposed on each other’s alcoholic beverages related to the Boeing/Airbus dispute but that still leaves 25 percent punitive duties on U.S. made bourbon and Scotch-style whiskies resulting from the tariffs imposed by Washington on steel and aluminum import...
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.