Oil versus Grain In the conflict with Russia, the G7+ has employed a cap on the price of petroleum. The goal is to reduce Russia’s export earnings and thus undermine its war effort. By contrast, the goal has been to help Ukraine, both with munitions and the EU waiving duties on that nation’s agricultural exports. While most of Ukraine’s exports have moved through the Black Sea grain corridor agreement, that is not an assured route and increasing volumes have moved westward through Poland, and or even south to Romania. But that has depressed prices for those nation’s farmers and there is discussion of reintroducing tariffs on Ukraine’s exports. An alternative is to better assist Ukraine’s grain exports, e...
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.
Key Market Insights The broad market is locked in on this week’s Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, but this is no longer just a trade summit. Increasingly, the meeting is becoming tied directly to Iran, energy security, and the growing global economic fallout from disruptions through the Strai...