The ethanol industry’s regulatory and legislative strategy to gain approval for E15 either by regulation or legislation is outlined.While E15 has been generally approved for use in the nation’s fuel supply since 2011 (for all automobiles starting with model year 2001), its volatility prevents usage in the summer months when there are clean air regulations that regulate fuels based on their evaporation rates (i.e., volatility). Volatility is measured in Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP), and summer fuels must have an RVP of 9 pounds per square inch (psi) or less. Biofuels blended into gasoline make the finished fuel exceed the RVP standard by 1 psi. Basic E10 was granted a 1 psi waiver from the RVP standards to ensure a year-round supply of biofuels...
What You Need to Know Today: A third U.S. border crossing (Columbus, New Mexico) has reopened to Mexican cattle imports following nearly two years of restrictions related to New World screwworm. The reopening could gradually improve feeder cattle availability, although more than 60 confi...
Yesterday, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) released a new report of negotiated cash purchases of cattle under the mandatory price report. The report included Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. The goal of the report was to solve the confidentiality issues e...
Key Takeaways: U.S. soybean crushing began in 1911 and saw its most rapid expansion during the 1930s amid the broader agricultural and technology revolutions of the time. After peaking in the early 2000s, the soybean crushing industry went through a downturn as poor crush margins forced...
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.