The funding bill included a directive for USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to report recommendations to Congress no later than 1 May 2015 that will assure country-of-origin labeling (COOL) requirements for meat products comply with U.S. trade obligations. Federal Government to Stay Open, Work on COOL and More Near the deadline today with federal funding set to expire at midnight, President Obama agreed to support the congressional $1 trillion spending bill that would fund most agencies through 30 September 2015. This will clear the way for its passage and avert a government shutdown.From a more narrow livestock interest, the funding bill included a directive for USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to report recommen...
What You Need to Know Today: The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at 3.75 to 4.0 percent Wednesday, with two officials dissenting in favor of a 25-basis-point increase. The Fed upgraded its assessment of economic growth from "solid" to "strong" but adopted a more patient approa...
Key Takeaways: Expected growth in U.S. soybean crushing capacity and output, driven by biofuel demand, will increase domestic soymeal supplies, with production growth significantly outpacing demand. WPI forecasts soymeal production increasing from 65.8 million short tons in 2026/27 to 70.5 mil...
Russian Grain Markets: 19–23 October 2026 The Russian grain market continued its recovery during the week, although prices remained volatile across regions. Wheat was notably bullish, while feed barley and corn were slower to appreciate, primarily because of weaker export demand amid logi...
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.