Legislation to approve E15 runs into opposition as the gap between ethanol production and consumption continues to widen.The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee had been expected to mark up the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, a bill that would amend the Clean Air Act to approve E15 for year-round use. (The EPA technically considers that to be any blend between 10.5 and 15 percent ethanol.) E15 currently cannot be sold during the period of 1 June-15 September because of its volatility. The bill was introduced by Senator Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), who cut a deal with EPW Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) earlier this spring (see Ag Perspectives, 16 May) to get a hearing and mark-up on the committee’s diary.Tha...
What You Need to Know Today: Commodities were mostly lower across the board today after yesterday’s Federal Reserve meeting hinted at a potential interest rate hike later in 2026. The dollar index reached its highest level in over a year, and a strong dollar makes U.S. agricultural expor...
Tomorrow is the Juneteenth federal holiday, and the USDA, along with the rest of the federal government and the CME, will be closed, so the monthly Cattle on Feed report was released a day early. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity on 1 June amounted...
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.