During the farm bill reauthorization this year, farmers want to protect their support programs including crop insurance. By contrast, environmentalists want to see a stronger emphasis on conservation. American Farmland Trust is an organization focused on preserving farms, farmland and promoting environmentally sound practices. It has issued a report warning that climate change puts non-irrigated land at risk as increased periods of drought are expected. U.S. agriculture’s use of ground and surface water has been relatively stable. Arid areas of the west are steady users whereas most of the central and eastern part of the country grows rain-fed crops. The total area being farmed has declined and consequently so have water withdrawals...
Beef packer margins improved to -$130/head last week, up $44 from the prior week as sharply lower fed cattle prices more than offset continued seasonal weakness in the Choice cutout. The cutout declined to $373/cwt while fed cattle prices fell to $238/cwt, allowing packer spreads to recover for...
What You Need to Know Today: The conflict between the U.S. and Iran continues to escalate with the two sides exchanging attacks over the weekend. President Trump said Iran “will pay” for recent attacks that claimed the lives of U.S. troops stationed in Jordan. There are some signs...
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.