The Farm Foundation held a conference on the farm economy this week and following are key points made by the presenters. American Farm Bureau Federation Chief Economist Dr. John Newton: • Farm Income: Excluding government payments (which will represent a third of farm income), net farm income in 2019 will be $69 billion, and in 2019 inflation-adjusted dollars, it will be in the bottom 50 percent of all time. With $33 billion in government payment and insurance receipts, farm income will be $88 billion in 2019, among the top 30 percent of all years on an inflation adjusted basis. • Bear Markets: 1919 to 1947 (22 years); 1948 to 1972 (23 years); 1973 to late 1980’s (13 years); and 2013 to ? (six years and counting). •...
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...
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.