World Perspectives

Watching Brazil’s Elections

The U.S. mid-term Congressional election is five weeks away; one election that much of agriculture is watching is Brazil’s Presidential race. In the first round of voting – among 11 total candidates – former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Lula) garnered 48.43 percent of the vote while incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro received 43.2 percent of the vote. With neither candidate getting a majority of 50 percent (plus one), the election now moves to a runoff on 30 October.   Bolsonaro’s electoral base is in the south and west of the country including most all of the key agricultural states, while Lula’s is in the north and east. The one ag state that Lula won was Minas Gerias; the rest went to Bols...

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Can a Trade Deal Save U.S. 2025/26 Soybean Exports?

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WPI Grain Prices and Freight Rate App Note: you can also visit the app directly by clicking here. Supplemental Information The section below offers a concise view of the options available in the current version of the WPI FOB Price and Freight Rate app, along with a short “How To”...

WPI Grain Transportation Report

Dry bulk freight rates cratered this week as China started its Golden Week holiday, which blanketed markets with calm and quiet. Pacific markets were especially dull and weaker, especially amid doubts about how China’s grain demand will play out after the holiday. China still has not book...

soy-oilseeds

Can a Trade Deal Save U.S. 2025/26 Soybean Exports?

Wednesday’s headline in the ag markets was President Trump’s social media post that indicated soybeans will be on the agenda for his upcoming summit with President Xi. The news was the first significant acknowledgement by the administration since starting the trade war that it is ha...

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Mercosur Regional Analysis

“Zero Export Taxes”: The Controversy in Argentina Ahead of the elections, the Argentine government faced urgent pressure to secure hard currency and stabilize the exchange rate. To do so, it temporarily eliminated export duties on grains and by-products, effective until 31 October 2...

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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.

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