The WTO’s annual Public Forum is being held this week, and the theme is how to create an open and inclusive trading system for all. However, it is more social than economic policy. WTO Sideshows The WTO’s annual Public Forum is being held this week, and the theme is how to create an open and inclusive trading system for all. However, it is more social than economic policy. There are sessions on gender equality, sustainability, making trade fair, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and social dialogue. The implication is that these are the hurdles to further liberalizing trade – the underlying objective of the organization. Some may be constraining factors on the margin, but the larger hurdle is...
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.