China has been on a wheat buying binge, reportedly picking up 2 MMT of Australian wheat in October and another 2.5 MMT of French wheat. It is surprising that Russia is not the key supplier given the strategic relationship. The purchases are due to rain damage to China’s crop that will send a fifth of this year’s output to the animal feed market. However, this ignores what has been a developing trend. China’s increased consumption of wheat has been outpacing domestic output for a few years. Imported wheat jumped to the MMT level back in 2020 and has continued to grow. There may be an anomalous strain on the domestic supply this year, but trendline analysis suggests that China is turning into a long-term larger wheat import...
What You Need to Know Today: Crude oil prices extended their rally today, supported by several developments, including escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure and growing concerns about supply disruptions. The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to remove 50 perc...
Regional News Dry weather across the UK and Europe is becoming increasingly concerning for the 2027 crops as planting intentions are lowered amid dry soil conditions. Delayed sowing or establishment under adverse conditions could leave crops more vulnerable to frost/freeze events and dise...
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.