What is interesting is the potential domino effect this nomination would have politically if it leads (as it probably will) to Baucus leaving the Senate before the end of his term.President Obama announced his intent today to nominate Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Montana) to be U.S. Ambassador to China. Senator Baucus had announced his plans to retire from the Senate in 2014 at the end of this term, his sixth. Baucus' potential nomination should be met with a great deal of support from the agriculture sector. He is well-versed in trade issues through his role on the Finance Committee and is a strong proponent of U.S .agriculture. His posting in China, the United States' largest ag export customer, will be welcomed. Baucus...
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.