Valentines Kiss USTR Chief Agriculture Negotiator Doug McKalip gave his counterparts until 14 February to respond to the U.S. demand for answers to its questions about the science Mexico is using to justify bans on GMO corn and glyphosate. The U.S. sugar industry now realizes it could be adversely impacted by Mexico’s GMO policy. Farm Bill Implications The U.S. shifted from agrarian to industrial about 1800. Pretty much since then the political power of the agriculture sector has been declining. Perhaps a slower decline than buggy whips, but abundance and affluence have created new challenges. Spin forward a few decades and now there is a fight to get “on” the House Agriculture Committee! Because peop...
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...
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) enters its mandated six-year review on 1 July. The original intent of the review is outlined in Article 34.7, which obligates members to: Provide recommendations and decide on appropriate actions. Extend the USMCA for another 16 years and meet aga...
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.