News Updates IRAQ IMPORT INSPECTIONS The Iraqi government announced that it has terminated its import inspection program with a Swiss-based inspection company; however, the northern Kurdish region will continue to work exclusively with this company. All other future inspections will be contracted to a number of inspection agencies and lab analysis will be done by six Iraqi government labs. ABU DHABI FODDER IMPORTS In order to protect the local livestock and poultry industries, the government of Abu Dhabi will allow up to 500,000 MT of "high quality fodder" (including concentrates) imports. According to the government, this move will not only increase supply but will also improve animal health and, as a by-product, reduce the water consu...
Key Takeaways: President Trump announced $8 billion in additional agricultural assistance through the Harvest Fuel Relief Program, as USDA projects farm fuel and oil expenses will increase 28.8 percent in 2026. The package follows $12 billion in earlier relief, while government farm payments w...
Key Takeaways: A student group from the University of Chicago is protesting to bring back onion futures trading. Trading in onion futures was banned in 1958 following a spectacular bout of market manipulation that resulted in a corner of the physical market. The ban on onion futures led t...
Beef packer margins deteriorated to $141/head last week, down $55 from the prior week as fed cattle prices strengthened while the Choice cutout remained nearly unchanged. The cutout held near $373/cwt while fed cattle prices climbed $4/cwt to $224/cwt, narrowing processor profits. Despite the d...
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.