Here we are again in another January. This means that the world soybean industry is gearing up for its annual shift in focus from the U.S. soybean supplies to South America and its impending soybean harvest. The world soybean market's shift from U.S. soybean supplies to South American supplies has become an annual rite of passage, an "out with the old, in with the new" transition. However, the nature of the transition is changing. Ever since a world market for soybeans developed in the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. has been the dominating influence, being the largest producer and largest exporter. Gradually, however, that has changed. Soybean production slowly increased in South America, mainly Brazil and Argentina, as did their exports of so...
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.