World Bank Money Train Outgoing World Bank President Robert Zoellick said he was OK with the BRICS countries seeking to form their own international development lending institution. He said he was "not a monopolist," meaning there is room in the marketplace for more than one lender. Perhaps it is because the BRICS see a vacuum caused by the World Bank's transition from a lending institution to what it calls a "bank of knowledge" (e.g. consultants). However, the larger issue is the fact that each of the BRICS is a borrower from the World Bank, to the tune of over $30 billion, according to the IBRD 2010 Status of Projects and Execution.India is notably the largest, and it also receives IDA grants that do not require repayment. China is sec...
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.