Activists Lose As of this week, there are 136 statewide ballot measures to be voted on this November in 39 different states. That is down more than 15 percent from the average for an even-numbered year election. Notably, there are no initiatives being considered that relate to activists’ favorite agriculture issues, like animal welfare, or corporate farming. Instead, South Dakotans will consider removing the state sales tax on food, and Florida and South Dakota will consider legalizing marijuana. Activists are also having less luck pushing corporations to adopt their positions against conventional agriculture. After the DEI fiascos, companies are keen to avoid politics. AI Hurdles U.S. farmers enthusiastically adopted precision agr...
Key Market Insights The broad market is locked in on this week’s Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, but this is no longer just a trade summit. Increasingly, the meeting is becoming tied directly to Iran, energy security, and the growing global economic fallout from disruptions through the Strai...
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.