E15 Fight: A lawsuit filed by the auto, oil and food industries against EPA's approval of E15 gets its day in court tomorrow. Meanwhile, a House subcommittee holds a hearing on Thursday on a bill that would waive any legal liability by fuel companies and auto manufacturers for any harm caused by E15. The impetus for the lawsuit would be mitigated if a liability waiver is passed, though not from the food industry that simply opposes the increased market competition for corn and soybeans.Ag Getting Aggressive: Faced with a challenge to the ways of Big Ag by foodies, environmentalists and animal rights activists, the response from conventional agriculture has thus far been limited to defensive moves (see WPI 28 March). However, a new group c...
Key Takeaways: President Trump announced $8 billion in additional agricultural assistance through the Harvest Fuel Relief Program, as USDA projects farm fuel and oil expenses will increase 28.8 percent in 2026. The package follows $12 billion in earlier relief, while government farm payments w...
Key Takeaways: A student group from the University of Chicago is protesting to bring back onion futures trading. Trading in onion futures was banned in 1958 following a spectacular bout of market manipulation that resulted in a corner of the physical market. The ban on onion futures led t...
Beef packer margins deteriorated to $141/head last week, down $55 from the prior week as fed cattle prices strengthened while the Choice cutout remained nearly unchanged. The cutout held near $373/cwt while fed cattle prices climbed $4/cwt to $224/cwt, narrowing processor profits. Despite the d...
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.