Farm Bill The Senate farm bill yesterday cleared a procedural challenge by passing a cloture vote that allows the bill to come before the whole Senate. The vote was 90-8, stronger than many expected given some of the controversies in the bill, such as Southern crops, nutrition, crop programs, etc.Despite the strong vote, however, there are a number of amendments under consideration, which could drag out the debate over the course of two to three weeks. While there is talk of compromises on various issues (such as peanuts, rice, etc.), at this point no manager's amendment is expected. Some close observers estimate that more than 200 amendments may be drafted, if not filed. As we mentioned last week (see Livestock Roundup 31 May), one su...
Key Takeaways: President Trump announced $8 billion in additional agricultural assistance through the Harvest Fuel Relief Program, as USDA projects farm fuel and oil expenses will increase 28.8 percent in 2026. The package follows $12 billion in earlier relief, while government farm payments w...
Key Takeaways: A student group from the University of Chicago is protesting to bring back onion futures trading. Trading in onion futures was banned in 1958 following a spectacular bout of market manipulation that resulted in a corner of the physical market. The ban on onion futures led t...
Beef packer margins deteriorated to $141/head last week, down $55 from the prior week as fed cattle prices strengthened while the Choice cutout remained nearly unchanged. The cutout held near $373/cwt while fed cattle prices climbed $4/cwt to $224/cwt, narrowing processor profits. Despite the d...
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.