A friend of WPI’s and a former colleague to some of us, Hanns Kuttner is a health policy analyst and senior fellow at the prestigious Hudson Institute. He recently wrote an insightful piece about the COVID-19 related shutdown of Smithfield’s pork packing plant in Sioux Falls and the investigative team from the federal government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that is on site. The key takeaway from Kuttner’s piece is: If the (CDC) team only looks inside the plant, it will miss the question that is most important for the rest of the meat industry: how did this begin? As Kuttner points out: The investigation inside the plant will produce frustratingly-limited detail. The plant has been close...
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
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.