Public Health COVID-19 Cases and Deaths Decline, Fears of New Variants Wane One particular positive as China’s lengthy New Year’s and Lantern Festival celebrations concluded is the sharp decrease in coronavirus related deaths. After seeing an official daily record of nearly 60,000 illness related fatalities on 15 January, the numbers have declined to just under 3,300 for the past week, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center and the World Health Organization (WHO). That pushed up China’s official total to nearly 101,000. While many in the public health community would argue this figure represents a fraction of the true number, it still points to the country’s vulnerability and the chaos that resulted...
What You Need to Know Today: Markets got a surprise with a corn yield of 181.2 bushels/acre in the October WASDE, above the average estimate of 177.6 bushels/acre and up from USDA’s September estimate of 178.5 bushels/acre. Although stronger demand is expected to absorb some of the addit...
The USDA has lowered its 2026 red meat production forecasts slightly while forecasting a slight increase in broiler production. Beef is now projected at 24.802 billion pounds, 75 million pounds less than in September. Cow slaughter is expected to be up; however, this will be offset by lower ste...
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.