The current political turbulence in Washington dominates the wire service headlines and the attention of op-ed writers. Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two articles of impeachment against President Trump over the Ukraine affair and a charge of obstruction of Congress. This is a major historical step in that it is only the third time that a sitting president has been impeached. The Democratic controlled House now sends its impeachment to the Senate where effectively President Trump will be tried to determine if he should be removed from office. A two-thirds majority of voting senators is required to remove a sitting president (or any other government official) from office. The two previous presidential impeachments invol...
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.