That the trade's analysis of stocks and acreage turned out to be so close to USDA's survey results is another way of saying that yesterday's reports were surprising."We Finally Have the Numbers" is the way Mike Krueger titled his recap of USDA's long awaited 1 March quarterly stocks and initial planting intentions in yesterday's WPI Ag Perspectives. Indeed, it is a relief to finally have them after weeks of anticipation. Each of the quarterly stocks reports that USDA issues every year can move grain and soy markets if stocks are bigger or smaller than expected. However, among the four USDA stocks reports each year, the 1 March report seems to be the one with the surprises that spark greater market volatility and does so more often than the...
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.