Backdoor Farm Bill President Biden has invited the top Democrat and Republican from both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to meet tomorrow and discuss reauthorization of the $1 trillion-plus farm bill. It is rare for a president to get so directly involved in a generally less controversial piece of business. The meeting comes amidst negotiations over a debt limit increase, an issue that dwarfs the farm bill but could make it a bargaining chip in the process. While the White House insists it wants a “clean” debt limit increase, it has already initiated negotiations. This means it likely will evolve into an omnibus legislative package involving a lot of horse trading. This no doubt will include the farm bill since Hou...
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) enters its mandated six-year review on 1 July. The original intent of the review is outlined in Article 34.7, which obligates members to: Provide recommendations and decide on appropriate actions. Extend the USMCA for another 16 years and meet aga...
Key Market Insights Geopolitical Limbo: Geopolitical risk remained a key driver across global commodity markets today. President Trump stated that the Iran memorandum of understanding is not yet final and warned that military action could resume if negotiations fail. Both sides continue w...
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.