Flights of Fancy In response to a recent WTO ruling on respective subsidies for Airbus and Boeing aircraft, USTR announced the proposed retaliatory tariffs against European aircraft and core agricultural products like dairy, seafood and wine. Brussels immediately said it would retaliate against American goods with tariffs that are bigger than those imposed by the U.S. Both Washington and Brussels have conflicting accounts of what the WTO dispute settlement panel concluded in the 14-year-old case. Each claimed to have won greater retaliation rights than the other, which will only be settled when the WTO panel opines the actual monetary figures allowed. Meanwhile, China has reportedly agreed with the EU to intensify discussions regarding int...
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.