Understanding U.S. Trade Policy Most leaders of international organizations refrain from publicly criticizing any member of their group. However, World Trade Organization Director-General Robert Azevêdo was particularly understanding of the U.S. trade policy situation this week. Despite being provoked to present a harsher view, he told the BBC that President Donald Trump’s global trade actions have been tempered by awareness of their risks. He wouldn’t even call the U.S. actions “unilateral.” Most headlines have warned of a trade war and harkened back to the adverse outcome of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act. More analysis is being written that acknowledges Mr. Trump’s talk is brash while his administration...
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.