Maize and sorghum prices in eastern Africa are at record levels due to last year’s severe drought. Meanwhile, one organization has warned of an infestation in southern Africa this year that could be a more significant threat to crops than the current outbreak of fall armyworms. Regional Updates MIDDLE EAST/MEDITERRANEAN COMMENTS Egypt’s pound has experienced a recovery over the past few weeks, increasing in value from 18.8 to 15.5 against the USD. The government’s Budget Committee has said that it expects the trend to continue and that the currency could reach 13 or better to the U.S. dollar. This change could be as much as 30 percent and would certainly improve the future situation for grain importers in Egypt. The committee says that t...
The corn and soy complex closed higher, with the wheat market mixed, as winter wheat closed up but spring wheat and livestock ended lower. Part of the strength for corn and soybeans may have been a weather premium, as crop planting has started out fast but warm weather has been slow to develop...
Real GDP grew at a 2 percent annual rate in the first quarter of 2026, slightly below the consensus expectation of 2.3 percent but above the 0.5 percent growth in Q4 2025. The GDP number matches the average annualized pace of growth since the peak back in late 2007, right before the Financial P...
Reflect for a moment on what you eat. There is a lot of advice out there in the ether about what you should eat, but really, what do you currently eat and how much? The good people at the USDA have some data for you, to help you answer that question. USDA says that we eat quite a bit of meat. L...
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.