World War I had an impact on American agriculture that in some respects is still being felt today. To ensure there was enough food to feed the army, the U.S. government put forward an attractive minimum price it would pay for wheat and hogs, which was essentially its first price support program for agricultural commodities.This week marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I in 1914. It was often referred to as the Great War since it was of a scope never before seen in the history of civilization. It was also called "the war to end all wars," because it was inconceivable that a conflict as horribly bloody and costly in human lives and as destructive in social and economic terms should ever occur again. Yet, World War I and...
What You Need to Know Today: Commodities were mostly lower across the board today after yesterday’s Federal Reserve meeting hinted at a potential interest rate hike later in 2026. The dollar index reached its highest level in over a year, and a strong dollar makes U.S. agricultural expor...
Tomorrow is the Juneteenth federal holiday, and the USDA, along with the rest of the federal government and the CME, will be closed, so the monthly Cattle on Feed report was released a day early. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity on 1 June amounted...
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.