USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack this week complained that he could not change the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) regulation so that it concurrently reflects requirements of an adverse ruling by the WTO dispute settlement panel and adheres to U.S. law. More Ethanol Fallout Fallout from today's U.S. EPA non-announcement regarding the required 2014 biofuel use requirement (see WPI Special Report 21 November) continued to rattle all day long. Some have called for legislation that would "Implement automatic consequences if EPA fails to meet statutory deadlines, especially for setting the annual volumes." The takeaway from others (opponents) was to conclude that a mandate isn't even necessary since the industry did quite well on its own. One iron...
What You Need to Know Today: Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans continued to accelerate, with USDA reporting another 558 KMT sold to China and 236 KMT to unknown destinations. Combined with sales announced Wednesday and Thursday, the latest purchases bring the three-day total to approximately...
Key Takeaways: With the fall calf run now upon us, producers are finally getting a glimpse of what their realized profits will be for 2026. Some producers may have already obtained a strong estimate of 2026 revenues, especially if calves were forward sold in, for example, the mid-summer...
As fall begins, wild migratory birds are starting their seasonal migration. That has the industry and government officials worried about the potential spread, again, of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Some members of Congress have called for the United States to be prepared for a pote...
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.