China Assault Team More than 150 American companies and trade associations signed a letter calling on President Trump to reach an agreement this weekend with Chinese President Xi Jinping that ends the application of punitive tariffs. Notable for their absence on the letter were some of the key organizations adversely impacted by Mr. Trump’s trade war: the American Soybean Association and the American Farm Bureau Federation. Pushing from the opposite side with their own letter were key Democratic officials in the U.S. Senate: Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York), Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and possible 2020 presidential contender Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). The Democrats are arguing that they have called...
What You Need to Know Today: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured reelection on Sunday, defeating right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro despite trailing in the first round of voting. The surprise victory triggered a sharp selloff in Brazilian financial market...
The 2026 midterm elections are a week from tomorrow, but early voting has been taking place for weeks. At stake is control of Congress, including the House of Representatives, where all 435 seats are contested, and the Senate, where approximately one-third of the seats are up for election. Farm...
Key Takeaways: Total U.S. crop acres (excluding hay) are forecast to expand fractionally this year due to greater oilseed crop and winter wheat plantings. One of the key drivers of this year’s crop outlook is input costs, and crops with a lower cost profile have an advantage in producers...
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.