Regional Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA Egypt is very concerned that the problems between Russia and Ukraine will push up world wheat prices and limit availability. In 2021, 85 percent of Egypt’s 12.9 MMT of wheat imports came from Russia and the Ukraine. Egypt is expected to need 21.3 MMT of wheat in 2021/22 with about 9 MMT being locally grown. Egypt may turn to supplies of wheat from India and Brazil if the Black Sea situation gets more difficult. Egypt reports that the recent 10-day storms have not damaged the wheat crop and forecasts of 10.5 MMT of wheat production still look reachable. According to reports in Egypt, wheat planting will need to increase by at least 35 percent with increased yield levels i...
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...
Today was the deadline for announcing intentions regarding renewal of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA); the U.S. will not renew the USMCA, according to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. President Trump will instead pursue separate bilateral trade deals with Canada and Mexico las...
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...
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.