Numerillogical at the Top There are problems in the agricultural data field, but its quantity and quality do improve over time. Meanwhile, decisions at the policy level repeatedly reflect a lack of understanding about what is available -- and what it all means. The Genetic Modification Debate Goes On Of all of the emotional issues that have arisen in recent years surrounding agriculture, the one that has by far generated the most emotion and controversy stems from biogenetic engineering of crops that directly or indirectly enter the human food chain. New Avian Flu Threatens Chinese Soy Demand The H7N9 outbreak has caused Chinese broiler meat consumption to decline. There are concerns that the avian influenza strain will mutate and spr...
What You Need to Know Today: Commodities were mostly lower across the board today after yesterday’s Federal Reserve meeting hinted at a potential interest rate hike later in 2026. The dollar index reached its highest level in over a year, and a strong dollar makes U.S. agricultural expor...
Tomorrow is the Juneteenth federal holiday, and the USDA, along with the rest of the federal government and the CME, will be closed, so the monthly Cattle on Feed report was released a day early. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity on 1 June amounted...
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.