With the federal government now fully reopened (at least until 15 February) and the EPA likely to soon have a full-time administrator (the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee confirmation hearing on Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler is 5 February), there are two important rulemakings under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) back underway. The first is the approval of year-round use of E15, which is fuel blended with 10.5-15 percent ethanol, and the second is the reset of the statutory volumes of biofuels. Under the statute, after 2016 the EPA is required to modify the applicable volumes of the RFS in future years if the administrator had waived the renewable fuel, advanced biofuel, cellulosic biofuel or biomass-based diesel mand...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The big news in the cattle markets yesterday was Tyson Foods’ move to close two more beef plants. One of them, the Joslin, Illinois, plant was shuttered immediately after the announcement. The other, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a case-ready plant that does not slaughter cattle. Tyson also...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...
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.