Regional News Russia’s latest attacks on Ukraine’s Odesa Black Sea port infrastructure on 23 December reportedly damaged a vessel carrying Ukrainian soybeans. The EU Commission raised its forecast of EU common wheat production to 134.4 MMT for 2025/26 and bumped the carry-out expectation higher to 11.7 MMT. Expana Markets (formerly Strategie Grains) forecast the EU 2026/27 wheat crop at 128.3 MMT, sharply below the prior year’s output. England is planning to ban hen cages as part of a suite of animal welfare proposals the government promised. Milling Wheat European wheat prices were mixed but broadly defensive on the week: UK feed wheat futures eased marginally, while the broader w...
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.