Representative Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) is becoming an outspoken leader in proposing new agricultural policy ideas, but his biggest reforms come in the area of trade.Representative Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) is becoming an outspoken leader in proposing new agricultural policy ideas. In September, he authored an op-ed that called for an end to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) based on its successes such as invigorating the production of corn-based ethanol and also its failures like the lack of progress in cellulosic ethanol production. Cramer argued that ethanol production has now matured and ethanol can survive on its octane value in the fuel market. His proposal was to have the RFS expire after 2022 when the statutory volumes end...
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.