The old saying “can’t see the forest for the trees” may be apt for the ethanol outlook for the next few years. Indeed, there’s been a great deal of looking at such trees as year-round E15 usage, small refinery wavers, the 2020 required volumes, and the upcoming Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) reset rule. Then there is the uncertain and volatile corn market that has dragged ethanol prices up and down this spring as well as the weather-related supply bottlenecks and, of course, the trade situation with China, formerly a top market for ethanol and DDGS exports. In the bigger picture (i.e., the forest), however, the ethanol sector finds itself in an overall supply-and-demand situation with petroleum that is bearish. While...
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.