Regional Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA COMMENTS Pakistan has declared a national emergency due to the spread of desert locusts in the eastern part of the country. They say that it is the worst infestation in 20 years – one that could decimate local grain crops. The locusts reportedly entered Pakistan from Iran. Pakistan has also allowed the private sector to import up to 300,000 MT of wheat, free of taxes, but many doubt that the private sector will import as local transportation costs from the port to destination will make imported wheat prices too high. The Pakistan government still insists that there is no wheat shortage in the country with most parts of the country showing no shortages. The recent FAO report o...
testing content here...
Kolkwitzia amabilis /kɒlˈkwɪtsiə əˈmæbɪlɪs/,[2] commonly known as beauty bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. It is the sole species in genus Kolkwitzia.[1] It is a deciduous shrub grown as an ornamental plant. In China, where it originated, the plant is cal...
The Olympic marmot (Marmota olympus) is a rodent in the squirrel family, Sciuridae. It occurs only in the U.S. state of Washington, at the middle elevations of the Olympic Peninsula. The closest relatives of this species are the hoary marmot and the Vancouver Island marmot. In 2009, it was decl...
The yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventer), also known as the rock chuck, is a large, stout-bodied ground squirrel in the marmot genus.[2] It is one of fourteen species of marmots, and is native to mountainous and semi-arid regions of southwestern Canada and western United States, includin...
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.