All the candidates agree that the fixed exchange rate must change eventually. Likewise, there is at least implicit recognition that the strongest sector of the economy is commodity exports and that the export tax is impeding domestic growth.Sunday, 25 October is Election Day in Argentina. Following the Canadian election on 19 October, this is the second time within one week that national balloting is occurring in a key Western Hemisphere agricultural-exporting country. Current President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is constitutionally-limited from seeking another term. Running to replace her are six candidates, and whoever is successful will inherit an economy in trouble. Current inflation is running about 25 percent, the peso is overvalu...
What You Need to Know Today: The corn and soybean markets closed slightly higher in low-volume trade. The wheat market was mixed, with HRW continuing its downward trek on improved moisture. As expected, the bearish cattle on feed report drove down cattle prices and pulled hogs down with it. Mi...
Monday, 25 May is a U.S. holiday, and both the markets and our office will be closed. Please note that the next issue of Ag Perspectives will be published on Tuesday, 26 May. The WPI staff wishes everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend...
USDA’s monthly cattle on feed report was released today. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity amounted to 11.6 million head, 102 percent of last year. Source: USDA, WPI Placements were up, but part of that is attributable to persistent drought c...
From WPI Consulting
Communicating importance of value-added products
Facing increasing pressure to quantify the value of export promotion efforts to investors, a U.S. industry organization retained WPI to develop a quantitative model that better communicated the importance of exports. The resulting model concluded that value-added meat exports contributed $0.45 cents per bushel to the price of corn, increasing support for that sector’s financial support of WPI’s client. In addition to serving the red meat industry with this type of analysis, WPI has generated similar deliverables for the U.S. soybean and poultry/egg industries.