We predicted on 17 September that the Republican nutrition-only title of the farm bill would squeak by the House this week. Yesterday, the House did indeed pass the nutrition title of the farm bill by a vote of 217-210. It was a squeaker. Technically, 218 votes are needed to gain a majority of the house, but like the previous farm bill, the chair gaveled the vote closed. The question is, now what?Several farm groups and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack called for the House to appoint conferees as soon as possible. Ostensibly, that is what will be done. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has said that the House will appoint conferees as soon as the Senate requests a conference. On the Senate side, Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) s...
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...
Unlike the 2022 fertilizer shock, today’s disruption is rooted less in rerouted trade flows and more in damaged production capacity, raw material constraints and uncertain recovery timelines. That makes this a longer-duration risk for U.S. agricultural producers and retailers who must sec...
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.