Russian Grain Markets: 19 - 23 December 2022 Russian Ministry of Agriculture announced a record year-end grain production of 159.5 MMT in bunker weight which is up 32.6 MMT from 2021. The Ministry forecasts the final grain production number after dockage at 150 MMT with wheat production at 100 MMT. Corn production is estimated at 13.9 MMT which is down from 16.1 MMT in 2021. Some corn harvesting may be delayed until spring or late winter. During the last week of 2022, Russian grain markets remained stable because of low trading activity at the year’s end. Traditionally, Russian Orthodox Christmas is on 7 January and most companies are taking a Christmas break during the first ten days in January. The trend is unm...
Key Market Insights Macro Markets: Inflation and Iran Reenter the Conversation Just when the grain trade had become comfortable focusing almost exclusively on weather, two major macro stories returned to the spotlight this morning: inflation and Iran. May CPI came in hotter than expected, with...
Why read this? Because Mark Twain correctly noted that “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” One of the most successful commodity traders and an eventual analyst at WPI was Bob Kohlmeyer. He was a history major from Princeton. After 47 years of profession...
Key Takeaways: China's rise to become the world's largest soybean importer reshaped global trade flows, but recent trade tensions have reduced its share of U.S. soybean exports. U.S. soybean exports have become increasingly diversified as exporters expanded sales to multiple emerging markets t...
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.