Beijing wants the U.S. to concede to China the status of being a “market economy” under the rules of the WTO, but it has a funny way of trying to sway Washington. Chlorine F Bombs “We don’t even chlorinate our chickens.” Showing that he knows the angst of the average European, that is the reported quip by Russian Ambassador to the EU Vladminir Chizhov. Never mind the fact that both Russia and Europe put chlorine in their drinking water; Chizhof is trying to stop the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. Largely making the same case as President Obama, Moscow is concerned that TTIP plus the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) means that Russia, China and India will be excluded from a consortium encompassing two-th...
What You Need to Know Today: Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans continued to accelerate, with USDA reporting another 558 KMT sold to China and 236 KMT to unknown destinations. Combined with sales announced Wednesday and Thursday, the latest purchases bring the three-day total to approximately...
As fall begins, wild migratory birds are starting their seasonal migration. That has the industry and government officials worried about the potential spread, again, of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Some members of Congress have called for the United States to be prepared for a pote...
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.