A provision in the 2014 Farm Bill requires the U.S. EPA to create an advisory committee of agricultural specialists to advise the agency’s scientists before they make rules considered harmful to the sector. The EPA has largely ignored the requirement, and now the U.S. House is responding. Blame Game The UN’s Human Development Index (HDI) shows that life expectancy, education and per capita income have declined consistently in Zimbabwe over the past 40 years of rule by Robert Mugabe. The country is rich in platinum, diamonds and other natural resources, but Human Rights Watch says the wealth has been plundered by Mugabe and his supporters.Venezuela had slow gains in the HDI during the rule of Hugo Chavez, but it is now experiencing a decli...
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.