EU Companies on Firing Line EU members agreed yesterday to stand up to Donald Trump by invoking a 1996 statute that would prevent European companies from abandoning Iran because of U.S. sanctions against that country. The large European firms involved have sizeable American investors and receive financing via U.S.-controlled banks. They could fundamentally face the choice of doing business in the U.S. or in Iran, but not both. It is unclear how blocking their exit from Iran is helpful to them. In the children’s game of chicken, the defender is allowed to move whichever foot is about to be hit by a thrown knife. Brussels is dictating that private commercial businesses cannot move their foot away from Donald Trump’s knife throw...
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.