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USDA Forecasts Of Crop Ending Stocks: How Well Have They Performed?

Author

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  • Xiao, Jinzhi
  • Hart, Chad E.
  • Lence, Sergio H

Abstract

This study analyzes forecasts of U.S. ending stocks for corn, soybeans, and wheat issued by the USDA. The proposed efficiency tests focus on forecast revisions. Forecast errors are decomposed into monthly unforecastable shocks and idiosyncratic residuals. The error covariance matrix allows for heteroscedasticity and auto-correlations. Results suggest that the USDA forecasts are inefficient, providing strong evidence that the USDA is conservative in forecasting the ending stocks. Unforecastable shocks are heteroscedastic, and idiosyncratic residuals are small. Results are consistent across the three decades analyzed, but soybean forecasts are found to be considerably worse from 2005 to 2015.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiao, Jinzhi & Hart, Chad E. & Lence, Sergio H, 2017. "USDA Forecasts Of Crop Ending Stocks: How Well Have They Performed?," ISU General Staff Papers 201704070700001580, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:isu:genstf:201704070700001580
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    Cited by:

    1. Siddhartha S. Bora & Ani L. Katchova & Todd H. Kuethe, 2021. "The Rationality of USDA Forecasts under Multivariate Asymmetric Loss," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(3), pages 1006-1033, May.
    2. Kuethe, Todd H. & Hubbs, Todd & Sanders, Dwight R., 2018. "Evaluating the USDA’s Net Farm Income Forecast," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 43(3), September.
    3. Zhang, Tianyang & Li, Ziran, 2018. "How Well Do Rational Expectations Storage Model Forecast Crop Ending Stocks?," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 273803, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Li, Ziran & Li, Ding & Zhang, Tengfei & Zhang, Tianyang, 2022. "Climate impact on the USDA ending stocks forecast errors," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    5. Tianyang Zhang & Ziran Li, 2022. "Can a rational expectation storage model explain the USDA ending grain stocks forecast errors?," Journal of Futures Markets, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(3), pages 313-337, March.
    6. Kwame Asiam Addey & William Nganje, 2023. "The role of the U.S. exchange‐rate equity market volatility on agricultural exports and forecasts," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 71(1), pages 25-47, March.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C11 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Bayesian Analysis: General
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • Q11 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Aggregate Supply and Demand Analysis; Prices

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