Markets have been obsessed with the failure of the U.S. and China to reach any sort of agreement regarding their trade dispute. In fact, it’s not even about reaching a deal at this point. Instead, it is more about some sign, however small, that there is even any sort of dialogue taking place between the two countries. While that doesn’t appear to be the case, who knows? This brings us to the NAFTA talks, which also don’t appear to be going anywhere (at least on the surface). There were a few scattered news stories this week indicating that the negotiations are getting “close” to some sort of agreement, but time will tell. As WPI has previously noted, the China trade dispute centers on the soy complex as far a...
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.