With the 2010 decade drawing to a close, there is value in looking back at what major developments occurred. The value is derived both from a reminiscent, “remember when?” standpoint and from teachable, real-life examples of the interplay between supply and demand. After all, “Those who cannot recall the past are doomed to repeat it.” WPI’s Dave Juday gave an excellent summary of the macroeconomic changes observed through the decade and this piece attempts to recall and examine the most influential changes on major CBOT/CME markets over the past 10 years. Corn – The 2012 U.S. Drought The 2012 drought impacted crops beyond corn, including soybeans and wheat, but there are few events since 20...
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.