USDA released the latest Census of Agriculture today. Typically, the release is every five years, so this is the 2022 census, updated from 2017. The response rate to the 2022 census was 61 percent; in 2017 it was 72 percent. Total farm sales in 2022, a year of record farm income, were $543 billion, up 39 percent from 2017, with 19.4 percent of that accounted for by inflation. Reflecting changes in the market and updates from the 2018 farm bill there were new questions added to the survey, including the use of precision agriculture and hemp production. However, a big takeaway is that the same trends held course, such as consolidation and aging of farmers, over the past five years. For example, there were 105,384 farms wi...
What You Need to Know Today: The hot, dry weather forecast continues to drive strength in grain futures with corn and soybeans hitting another day of strong gains. Monday’s Crop Progress and Conditions data were in line with market expectations and showed relatively few concerns for the...
Yesterday we wrote about the Q1 GDP numbers and the June employment reports in an article entitled Real GDP for Q1 Relying on AI Buildout, Held Back by Consumer Spending. That article mentioned that consumer spending had become a drag on GDP. Nonetheless, real GDP in Q1 was revised upward to 2...
Key Takeaways: The Middle East and North Africa's arid climate and limited water resources have created a structural dependence on imported wheat. Government wheat tenders in major importing countries serve as important benchmarks for global trade, providing insight into exporter competitivene...
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.