General Comments Soybeans are an important crop, so much so that the way they are grown has become a topic to be argued tomorrow in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. Monsanto is the largest producer of genetically modified soybean seeds. When it sells seeds to a farmer, it requires that the farmer agree not to save or reuse soybeans as seed, but to buy new seed every year. Monsanto has sued an Indiana farmer for planting unlicensed soybean seeds in violation of Monsanto's patent. Instead of buying Monsanto seeds, the farmer simply bought generic non-seed soybeans from a country elevator and used the purchase for seed — assuming correctly that the soybeans he bought came from Monsanto seeds.The issue before the Supreme Court is whether in...
What You Need to Know Today: Cattle futures extended their sharp selloff Friday as weakening cash cattle prices, deteriorating feedlot profitability, and reduced packer demand continued to weigh on the market. The inability of futures to sustain a rally following last week's bullish Cattle on...
As predicted, the Federal Reserve held rates steady at the last meeting before the midterm elections, likely in part because of the election (see WPI 19 October and 22 September). The decision comes at the tail end of a midterm election cycle that has been marked by the two parties campaigning...
Key Takeaways: WPI’s new EU rapeseed crushing margin models point to weaker processing returns over the next four months due to higher rapeseed procurement costs and weaker product values. Statistical forecasts call for German crushing margins to decline from €181/MT to €...
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.