We’re nearing the middle of January which means all the farm and commodity groups will be holding their annual meetings, and in a farm bill year that means that farm policy positions and priorities will be finalized. This week the American Farm Bureau Federation is meeting in Puerto Rico and in his address the group’s President, Zippy Duvall, noted There’s 179 (members) that have never debated a farm bill …. The biggest challenge is to get to know those people, introduce ourselves to them, and make them realize how important those farm programs are to our farmers. Duvall’s observation is also on the minds of other groups – both national and state-level – who between now and March will be re...
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...
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) enters its mandated six-year review on 1 July. The original intent of the review is outlined in Article 34.7, which obligates members to: Provide recommendations and decide on appropriate actions. Extend the USMCA for another 16 years and meet aga...
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.