Election fever is at high pitch in the U.S. with the Congressional mid-terms just one week from tomorrow. At stake is a likely change in party control of the House of Representatives and potentially the Senate. This comes as the farm bill will be on the docket in 2023. But in Brazil, the Presidential election happened yesterday. Former president Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro 50.9 percent to 49.1 percent. This was a run-off election among the top two vote getters in the initial round of voting where no candidate got 50 percent of the vote. Among 11 total candidates in round one, Lula garnered 48.43 percent of the vote while Bolsonaro received 43.2 percent of the vote. Rea...
Key Takeaways: Dry bulk markets remain mixed with Capesize rates turning around from their recent weakness and posting solid gains on improved Chinese demand. Panamax vessels, on the other hand, saw rates decline amid greater tonnage availability in the South Atlantic and falling U.S. Gu...
WPI Grain Prices and Freight Rate App Note: you can also visit the app directly by clicking here. Supplemental Information The section below offers a concise view of the options available in the current version of the WPI FOB Price and Freight Rate app, along with a short “How To”...
Key Takeaways: Brazil confirmed a Newcastle disease outbreak at a commercial turkey farm in Santa Catarina on 18 October, raising concerns about potential disruptions to poultry exports despite the outbreak being confined to a single facility thus far. Mexico and Malaysia have imposed nationwi...
Argentina Sunflower Sunflower remains one of the most attractive crops in Argentina, supported by strong demand and favorable prices that currently offer some of the best projected production margins among summer crops. Planted area is estimated at 3.0-3.1 Mha, with around 42 percent already se...
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.