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...
Corn Argentina Argentina's corn harvest has reached 52.9 percent of the national harvestable area, with an average yield of 8.15 MT/ha. Harvest continues at a moderate pace because of high grain and field moisture, particularly across central and southern Buenos Aires Province. Over the past se...
As Cuba's economic crisis has deepened, discussions about the country's eventual economic and political transition have reemerged. One question that inevitably follows is what opportunities might emerge for U.S. agricultural exports. So, here’s a brief review of those opportunities, but n...
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 “...
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.