The CBOT opened sharply higher on Tuesday following a long, holiday weekend that saw U.S. weather forecasts deteriorate significantly. Spring wheat (Minneapolis) futures led the market higher (how many times do you actually get to say that?) as the worsening drought in the northern Plains is placing significant duress on that crop. While the CBOT traded higher, weekend news that the world’s largest meat packer – JBS – suffered an operation-suspending cyberattack sent cattle futures to limit losses at the open. Both the near-term and long-term U.S. weather forecasts are concerning for crop production. The 6-10-day and 8–14-day outlooks call for above average temperatures for the west, western Corn Belt, and Upp...
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.