Note: WPI chief market analyst Matt Herrington is away on travel until 20 June. It was a modest volume day with trading initially unclear about what direction to take. Corn opened higher, traded both sides but ended down. Soybeans traded both sides but ended lower. Wheat moved higher and stayed there. The beef market knew what direction to take, the same one it has been on, and August live cattle moved to yet another new contract high. That is unlikely to be the last record to be set. USDA’s weekly Export Inspections report showed wheat and soybeans roughly in the middle of analysts’ pre-report estimates, with corn near the top of their expectations. However, it provided little support to today’s corn pricing...
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.