Regional Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA Syria is facing a water crisis in the northeast that it blames on Turkey. Dams on the Euphrates River in Turkey have reduced the river's flow while Turkish control on Syrian water stations is said to have limited water supplies for agriculture. Syria has suffered from very low rainfall in the past two years and farmers are dependent on the Euphrates and local aquifers for water supplies. Turkey’s invasion of northeastern Syria in late 2019 is said to have led to much of the water supply problems. Water is being trucked into the area for sale to the public with little or none available for agriculture. Syria had planned to refurbish a water purification facility that had n...
What You Need to Know Today: The June jobs report showed nonfarm payrolls increased by 57k jobs, less than the 115k jobs expected by economists surveyed by Dow Jones. The labor force participation rate dropped by 0.3 percent to 61.5 percent, the lowest since March 2021, and the lowest in 50 ye...
As Cuba's economic crisis has deepened, discussions about the country's eventual economic and political transition have reemerged. One question that inevitably follows is what opportunities might emerge for U.S. agricultural exports. So, here’s a brief review of those opportunities, but n...
Key Takeaways Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is increasing steadily, despite a precarious political situation. The increased flow of vessels through the SOH is pressuring tanker rates, though total volumes remain well below pre-war levels. The big issue in the Strait of Hormu...
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.