The shrinking U.S. demand for fuel obviously exacerbates the blend wall issue. However, the global demand for crude and petroleum fuel, up about 6.5 percent outside of the U.S., has actually led to refinery expansions that are all targeted to the export market.U.S. energy markets are in a transition phase as is readily apparent from the blend wall issue highlighted by EPA's reduced biofuels volumes for 2014. Gasoline consumption is going down in the U.S. because of higher-mileage cars and the bow wave effect of baby boomers retiring with fewer younger drivers replacing them. This comes at a time when domestic crude oil production is up in the country and when natural gas production is increasing as well. The effect has been that the U.S. ha...
What You Need to Know Today: U.S. weather is getting more attention this week as conditions vary greatly across the western, central, and eastern corn belts, with the different regions battling dryness and too much rain simultaneously. The ProFarmer Crop Tour began today in Indiana and Nebrask...
Key Takeaways: Argentina is on pace for a record corn crop and record exports in the current marketing year, with abundant supplies likely to keep the country highly competitive in global export markets. Argentina’s record exportable surplus is allowing it to offer highly competitive pri...
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.