U.S. agriculture dislikes being the tip of the spear in Donald Trump’s trade war fight, but the industry’s intermediaries in Washington are far more upset than those in the countryside. This is largely because farmers in rural America voted for Mr. Trump, and they are not as quick to abandon him as are the elites in Washington, including those representing agriculture. NBC News quoted Midwest interviewees like Indiana pig farmer Nick DeKryger who said, “The longer it drags on, the more damage is going to happen…[but] we understand the goal and we like the goal.” From the viewpoint of some in rural America, all they’ve ever heard from their Washington agriculture representatives are complaints about fore...
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.