Battle Stations Whether it is a trade war or merely a trade dispute or trade discussion, there’s firing going on in both directions. The Trump Administration issued its initial tariffs and some trading partners are announcing their retaliation. What is notable is that the White House is holding back on announcing its counter-retaliation intentions. Logically, the White House would argue that its tariffs are legal since Section 232 of the ironically-named Trade Expansion Act of 1962 is grandfathered into U.S. international obligations. By contrast, other countries do not have the right to retaliate against a legitimate U.S. policy unless they can first get a WTO dispute settlement panel to rule in their favor. The Trump/Navarro theor...
What You Need to Know Today: After a period of limited activity, USDA reported a sizeable 613 KMT in soybean export sales, including 330 KMT to China and 283 KMT to unknown destinations, potentially also China. The purchases represent a meaningful pickup in demand and bring China closer to ful...
Key Takeaways: Consumer spending is a key driver of the U.S. economy, and the latest retail sales data indicate that spending remains robust despite inflation. In September, total retail and food service sales rose more than 6 percent year-over-year, with food service spending up 7 percent and...
The Trump import plan for 300,000 MT of beef supplies used for ground beef, i.e., lean trim, from September through November has, according to Secretary Brooke Rollins, brought some relief to beef prices. The Executive Order states that the Secretary of Agriculture will analyze and review the m...
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.