Australia announced that an agreement had been reached with China that will end the latter’s punitive tariffs on barley from Down Under. For its part, China said it is willing to work with Australia to normalize relations. In May 2020, China imposed tariffs of 80.5 percent on Australian barley, claiming Australian subsidies distorted the market. It was in fact retaliation for Canberra encouraging an inquiry into the origins of COVID. As the primary and premium market for Australian barley, it was expected to cripple the industry. However, the global barley market is fungible and expectations that Canada would largely profit from the trade war, a huge drought in 2021/22 made less available for export. Australian farmers switched...
Russian Grain Markets: 12–16 October 2026 During the week in review, the Russian grain market began recovering after an extended decline driven largely by Black Sea logistics bottlenecks, a good crop and weaker global demand in traditional Russian markets. Russia is beginning to harvest c...
What You Need to Know Today: Corn and soybeans were under heavy selling pressure as weaker (or at least as-expected) export demand runs into an accelerating harvest pace with more grain available in the spot market. Corn and soybean harvest progress remains below average across the U.S., espec...
Yesterday, Alberta held a referendum on whether to begin the process toward independence from Canada. With more than one million votes counted as of early Tuesday morning, around 77 percent supported remaining in Canada, and 23 percent voted to start the process of separation, according to unof...
From WPI Consulting
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.