Argentina -- Aqui Vamos Otra Vez: Supermarkets in Argentina have been asked by the government to voluntarily freeze food prices in 2013. Buenos Aires hopes to both placate consumers and convince the IMF that there is no inflation. Farmers in Argentina have seen this play before and warn the actual result will be food shortages. They predict that meat will be hit first, but eventually it could lessen enthusiasm for planting corn and wheat. Soybeans will be less impacted. Moreover, the IMF is unlikely to be impressed.Separately, the U.S. has restricted citrus imports from both Argentina and Uruguay for many years due to sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) concerns, but USDA has just proposed lifting the ban for Uruguay. Perhaps Washington has...
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...
Key Takeaways: Argentina is on pace for a record corn crop and record exports in the current marketing year, with abundant supplies likely to keep the country highly competitive in global export markets. Argentina’s record exportable surplus is allowing it to offer highly competitive pri...
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.