The CBOT turned higher to start the week with short covering on deeply oversold technical conditions and a dry 10-day weather forecast for the central and eastern Corn Belt offering support. Soybeans led the move higher overnight and posted strong gains during the day session with corn following on the heels of a strong export inspections report. Wheat was the laggard for the day but managed to post its first daily gain in three days with most of the buying interest coming from short-covering trades. For the spring crops, the day’s price action was a welcome relief from last week’s steep selloff, but it does little to alter the long-term bearish outlook for the grain and oilseed markets. WPI looks for firmer trade this week, but...
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.