Double-Edged Assistance The trade mitigation package being floated by the Trump administration is again generous to soybeans but stingy toward corn. In the earlier package, corn received less than 1 percent of the payment given to soybeans. The numbers being thrown around for round two quadruples the amount to corn but still leaves it at just 2 percent of the soybean assistance. However, a positive spin from exporters of corn is that at least that commodity is unlikely to face countervailing duties in foreign markets since the assistance is less than 5 percent of the value of the corn. Walk and Chew Gum Frustrated by the unrelenting efforts of congressional Democrats to investigate him, President Trump announced that he will not...
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.