Streisand Salvation Stealing an idea from energy writer Robert Bryce, what if the Green Deal/F2F is inadvertently boosting the prospects for ag chemical companies? Bryce notes the “Streisand Effect” whereby the world famous entertainer Barbara Streisand sued a photographer to stop publication of an aerial shot of her sprawling Malibu Beach estate. The lawsuit caused the photograph to instead go viral, ensuring the opposite of Streisand’s intent as millions gawked at the environmentalist’s huge carbon footprint. Bryce contends that Europe’s suppression of energy production before the Russian invasion of Ukraine has now had the opposite effect by boosting production out of concerns for energy security. In a simi...
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.