As the market recovered this year, there has been growth in certain short positions on the part of producers and merchants. This could well suggest that U.S. producers are finding current futures prices are strong enough to generate a positive return to production.According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA’s) latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), U.S. crude oil production is forecast at 8.6 million barrels/day in 2017 or about 100,000 barrels more than its previous projection. That compares with a forecast of 8.7 million barrels/day for 2016 and actual production of 9.4 million barrels/day in 2015. The latter of course occurred when West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices dropped from highs of more than $60/bar...
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.