Trust Politicians More than Scientists: David Kessler, a former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) writes in The New York Times that action must be taken on the use of antibiotics in livestock production. According to Kessler, there is "more than enough scientific evidence" to restrict their use. Meanwhile, Kessler criticizes the livestock industry's opposition to efforts by politicians to impose new restrictions on antibiotic use, but concedes himself "that not every lawmaker is as convinced as I am" as to the need for restrictions. Two questions: If there is more than enough scientific evidence, why aren't the scientists at his former agency taking action? Wouldn't that be dereliction of duty, malpractice or so...
Key Takeaways: Brazil confirmed a Newcastle disease outbreak at a commercial turkey farm in Santa Catarina on 18 October, raising concerns about potential disruptions to poultry exports despite the outbreak being confined to a single facility thus far. Mexico and Malaysia have imposed nationwi...
Yesterday, Alberta held a referendum on whether to begin the process toward independence from Canada. With more than one million votes counted as of early Tuesday morning, around 77 percent supported remaining in Canada, and 23 percent voted to start the process of separation, according to unof...
What You Need to Know Today: Harvest pressure in the U.S. sent corn and soybeans lower as supplies increased and there were signs USDA’s upward revisions to yields in the October WASDE could be close to right. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalated over the weekend, with Ukrai...
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.