Tight Cottonseed Supplies Forecasted Again for MY 2013/14 MY 2013/14 is shaping up to be another bad one for U.S. cottonseed processors if USDA's forecasts are accurate. Acres planted this year are estimated at 10.25 million acres, a decrease of 2.06 million acres (16.7 percent) from last year. The decline occurred because southern farmers believed corn and soybeans to have more profit potential this year. Additionally, USDA reduced its forecast for the cotton harvested area in the August report by 300,000 acres to only 7.8 million acres. It also lowered its forecast for the average U.S. cottonseed yield, and projected a decline from 1.355 MT/hectare (1209 pounds/acre) last year to only 1.27 MT/hectare (1133 pounds/acre) this year. The...
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 €...
Key Takeaways: The tariff burden rose sharply in 2025 and 2026: the effective rate on imports in HTS Chapters 1–24 increased from 1.53 percent in 2024 to 6.11 percent in 2025, before averaging 5.68 percent in January–August 2026. Headline rates tell only part of the story: exemptio...
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.