This week will be pivotal on Capitol Hill. Much of President Biden’s agenda – the American Families Plan (43.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill) and the Build Back Better initiative ($1.2 trillion infrastructure bill) – will be put to the test with votes in the House of Representatives. It is the same agenda that has been on the docket for months, but this is the week it comes to a head. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) issued a schedule last night calling it a “week of opportunity.” Before moving ahead, the government must be funded, and the debt ceiling must be raised. The fiscal year ends 30 September and the federal government’s borrowing authority is exhausted with the Treasury using acc...
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.