U.S.–China Implications Some reports indicate a U.S.–China trade deal will be announced by the end of next week. Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney had a potentially worse message for U.S. agriculture, saying the administration is prepared to walk away from the talks if an agreement doesn’t come soon. The trade war has already changed the trajectory of goods produced and traded. Beijing has greatly boosted its investments in agriculture following the imposition of import barriers against American farm products. It made similar increases in its semiconductor capabilities due to restricted access by the West and now competes directly with U.S. makers. AgFunder says agrifood startups in China raised $5.8 billio...
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.