With Egypt expected to need 11.2 MMT of imported wheat this year, private grain importers there are saying that banks are forcing them into bankruptcy because of a development that is impacting the loan security required for certain orders. Regional Updates MIDDLE EAST/MEDITERRANEAN COMMENTS Egypt has replaced Ibrahim Imbaby as head of the agricultural quarantine department. Imbaby was appointed to the position in March 2016 at the time of the country’s wheat ergot controversy, which lasted for several months and made wheat tendering very difficult for Egypt. The government gave no reason for his removal.Egypt’s foreign reserves reached $24.3 billion at the end of December, which experts say will cover all import requirements for five mo...
What You Need to Know Today: Commodities were mostly lower across the board today after yesterday’s Federal Reserve meeting hinted at a potential interest rate hike later in 2026. The dollar index reached its highest level in over a year, and a strong dollar makes U.S. agricultural expor...
Tomorrow is the Juneteenth federal holiday, and the USDA, along with the rest of the federal government and the CME, will be closed, so the monthly Cattle on Feed report was released a day early. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity on 1 June amounted...
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.