USG – Next Steps President Trump blinked in the face of a record-long government shutdown, and it is for the better. As we noted more than a week ago (click here), one key option is to open the government and get workers paid. But how does he proceed now without facing a complete loss? He could use sarcasm. Demand instead money to tear down the hundreds of miles of border walls that were built previously with money backed by the Democrats. He could declare a national emergency, redirecting military funds to build the wall, although that would get bogged down in lawsuits. Alternatively, he could be presidential and spend the time and effort to negotiate with Democrats on a broader fix to immigration. Trump’s Art is Vari...
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.