Big Picture Economics The trade war started by President Trump does not deserve all the blame, although it certainly has not helped the world economy. However, the precarious situation is having some positive outcomes such as the following: U.S. consumer confidence is falling along with equities, and the Congressional Budget Office says increased import tariffs will slow the economy. President Trump is being forced to be more receptive to a trade deal with China. With the Fed now stepping back, collectively, the U.S. economy is less likely to make a precipitous fall. Asian exports have fallen, driving governments in the region to consider bringing more balance to their own economies. China is repatriating investment capital and pouring $...
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.