Corn Brazil The Brazilian corn production estimates look poor indeed. The combination of intense drought and recent frost/freeze events caused huge, irreversible damage to the crop. The most optimistic estimate right now is a total crop of 93 MMT (of which 67 MMT is attributed to the safrinha crop) and the most pessimistic is 83 MMT (with 57 MMT of safrinha production). The range in export estimates is similarly wide between 19 and 25 MMT. Brazil’s harvest is moving slowly and is well behind the normal pace. Only 15 percent is harvested so far, so it’s too early to make definitive conclusions about yields and crop size. As the harvest moves faster, the market will get a better assessment of production potent...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The big news in the cattle markets yesterday was Tyson Foods’ move to close two more beef plants. One of them, the Joslin, Illinois, plant was shuttered immediately after the announcement. The other, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a case-ready plant that does not slaughter cattle. Tyson also...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...
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.