World Perspectives

More BRICS, Same Problems

The BRICS Group, a club of nations with the goal of tilting the international order away from the West, has invited six countries to join and make it an unhappy family of eleven. We previously noted the shortcomings of the original BRICS and the new cousins have similar genetic defects:  Argentina: Has been fiscally irresponsible and so focused on redistribution that it overlooked the importance of productivity gains. Egypt: Perennial autocratic military regime with corruption and other misdeeds keeping a third of the population in adject poverty.  Ethiopia: Domestic violence so concerning that the U.S. is providing temporary protected status for its refugees. Food is a problem too. Iran: A theocratic regime that operates outs...

Related Articles

Happy New Year from WPI

The WPI team extends our best wishes to you and your families for a healthy and happy New Year. Thank you for your faithful readership, we are looking forward to serving you in the New Year! Please note that our next report will be issued Thursday, 2 January as the U.S. markets are closed...

Death of Ag Bidenomics; China 2025; Import Sensitivity

Death of Ag BidenomicsMuch has been written about Bidenomics. Its fans bemoan that the data is good, but the voters failed to appreciate that specific messaging; critics ridicule the policies for waste and misdirection. Bidenomics mostly doesn’t matter in agriculture where cyclicality is the dr...

Parting Shot; Locality Pay

Parting ShotsIn an interview with DTN, outgoing USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack expressed his long-running frustration that farm spending favors larger farms and that the number of farmers and acreage are shrinking. He says the farm bill is outmoded and needs to benefit more farmers and stop the rat...

Happy New Year from WPI

The WPI team extends our best wishes to you and your families for a healthy and happy New Year. Thank you for your faithful readership, we are looking forward to serving you in the New Year! Please note that our next report will be issued Thursday, 2 January as the U.S. markets are closed...

Death of Ag Bidenomics; China 2025; Import Sensitivity

Death of Ag BidenomicsMuch has been written about Bidenomics. Its fans bemoan that the data is good, but the voters failed to appreciate that specific messaging; critics ridicule the policies for waste and misdirection. Bidenomics mostly doesn’t matter in agriculture where cyclicality is the dr...

Parting Shot; Locality Pay

Parting ShotsIn an interview with DTN, outgoing USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack expressed his long-running frustration that farm spending favors larger farms and that the number of farmers and acreage are shrinking. He says the farm bill is outmoded and needs to benefit more farmers and stop the rat...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Black Sea Regional Analysis

Russian Grain Markets: 16 – 20 December 2024Last week, the Russian grain markets showed the first signs of the holiday season with rather weak trading. Russian grain markets and especially export business will adjust to the Christmas season globally which will then enter Russian Orthodox Christ...

Image
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.

Search World Perspectives

Sign In to World Perspectives

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up