GOOD MORNING, Prices are mostly higher as traders wait to see if there is follow-through buying activity from China. Crop ratings were a bit constructive as wheat ratings dropped a touch and weather is wet and cool, creating ponding and localized flooding. Outside markets were extremely constructive yesterday with the Dow surging 900 pts on optimism over vaccine hopes. Today, stocks are slightly lower. Biotech company Moderna Inc. announced it had positive results from its early human tests of a possible coronavirus vaccine. Crude oil, often a proxy for commodities in general, reached a new trading range high on short-covering as production cuts are implemented by OPEC, and countries lift their st...
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.