The recent news regarding trade has been a mixed bag. On the positive side President Trump yesterday signed the USMCA triangular trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Mexico has already ratified the agreement, but Canada has not done so yet. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to have little trouble receiving parliamentary approval although there may be some grousing over the cracks in the heretofore tight restrictions on dairy and poultry imports that the USMCA provides. In fact, it is U.S. dairy and poultry interests that will benefit from increased export opportunities. The USMCA will not lead to an increase in U.S. grain or soy exports to Mexico and Canada beyond what would have happened anyway. But it is...
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.