Geopolitics and Trade Post WWII trade policy by Washington was largely driven by Cold War tactics. Offer countries easier access to the big American consumer market in exchange for supporting the West against the Soviet Union. There was a brief 20-year period after the fall of the USSR in which geopolitics and economics became less entangled but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s hysteric reaction to a U.S. Congresswoman going to Taiwan has changed the calculus. Now the Biden White House has put possible tariff cuts on Chinese goods on hold, and it has imposed ample sanctions on Russia. Labor’s Distortions USTR Katherine Tai made clear in her presentation this week to the United Steelworkers’ union that orga...
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.