WTO Director General Roberto Azevédo is asking key countries to decide what are doable and undoable issues at the organization’s upcoming ministerial in Buenos Aires. Hermit Surprise It can be argued that North Korea is not the greatest threat requiring attention now. Ian Bremmer of the Eurasia Group argues the Hermit Kingdom is acting as it always has and that the larger geopolitical problem is instead China. Still, North Korea is concerning as it makes a continuing string of threats, including the latest to light an H bomb over the Pacific. France is even considering skipping the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.The 1953 armistice agreement did not technically end the war, and President Trump has substantially greater flexib...
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.