Owning the Passage Russia is still able and will be able to export commodities. Sanctions do not include food. No one will deny countries like Egypt access to cheaper wheat to feed their people. And many of the countries that have been buying Russian wheat and barley will continue to do so. Turkey has closed the Bosporus for military ships not returning to home port, but Russian commercial vessels keep the trade going. The EU has finally closed its ports to Russian vessels, but Russia will continue to trade grain via ports in the Caspian and Black Seas. Russia will also move grain and other commodities to China. And Russia no longer has competition from Ukraine. Black Sea routes from Odessa to the Bosporus have been reportedl...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
We have described the long-term investment climate in crop and livestock production, using data primarily from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The data provided background on the current investment climate and outlook for agricultural capital formation. Our conclusion was that investment...
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.