Two-sided, narrow trading continues as uncertainty competes with certainty over where true value is headed. In an almost hands off manner, soybeans failed to trade at its usual 25-cent minimum daily spread, and corn barely broke a 10-cent range. There is plenty of macro suspense – the Russians, Hurricane Ian, and interest rates, to just name a few. There was some angst for the ABCDs as Moscow entertained a proposal to ban them from trading in Russia. Energy markets remain in Moscow-driven upheaval. More directly bullish is the increasing likelihood that Moscow will let the Ukraine grain export corridor expire, though shipments eastward over land will gain some efficiency over time. This morning’s USDA Export Sales report...
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.