A relatively minor crop, just a little over 2 MMT of oats are globally traded each year. Still, it is an important niche and yet seemingly in decline. This year’s crop is slightly larger than last year’s, but that isn’t saying much since that one was the smallest in over a decade. Most of the exportable oats come from just a handful of countries, with Canada the top dog. It mostly supplies the U.S., which is the top dog of oat importers. This year will be the smallest amount of oats exported by the top five suppliers since 2016/17. The UK and Australia will export slightly more, but not enough to offset the declines from Canada, Russia, and the EU. Europe basically imports about as much as they export, possibly as v...
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.
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...