World Perspectives

Fixing Farm Supports; Not Stumbling; Saving GMOs; De-Globalization

Fixing Farm Supports The best defense is an offense, and China and India are demanding that the rich countries reduce their farm support payments. The demand is rather rich given that producer support estimates (PSEs) have fallen in the rich countries at the same time they’ve skyrocketed in China and most likely in India as well. According to the OECD, the PSE for the EU has fallen 47 percent over the past 20 years, while the comparatively smaller U.S. PSE has dropped 20 percent. By contrast, as China has grown richer, it has increased its PSE by 580 percent over the same period. The OECD argues that agricultural support policies are poorly aligned with defined objectives. Notably, U.S. farmers believe the farm bill is strongly link...

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Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.17/bushel, down $0.0275 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.15/bushel, down $0.0525 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.2525/bushel, down $0.06 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $285.8/short ton, down $3.2...

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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.

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