Cost of Being Late Japan has just found out that when it joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations next month in Malaysia, nearly half the chapter areas already will have been concluded, including one in the somewhat sensitive area of food safety. It is the unfortunate result of having joined the negotiations late in the effort, but it may be a benefit in that the Abe government can argue to detractors that it was forced to accept things already completed as the price of gaining other changes yet to be negotiated. What is Natural? Anti-biotech campaigners are upset that a California judge did not immediately force Mission tortilla chips to remove its "all natural" claim on its packaging. She deferred for six months for the U.S...
What You Need to Know Today: U.S. weather is getting more attention this week as conditions vary greatly across the western, central, and eastern corn belts, with the different regions battling dryness and too much rain simultaneously. The ProFarmer Crop Tour began today in Indiana and Nebrask...
Key Takeaways: Argentina is on pace for a record corn crop and record exports in the current marketing year, with abundant supplies likely to keep the country highly competitive in global export markets. Argentina’s record exportable surplus is allowing it to offer highly competitive pri...
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.