Line Speed Hogwash The United Food and Commercial Workers Union achieved their goal of obtaining the Biden Administration’s support for a federal district court ruling that pork processing plants must slow down their operating speeds. The Trump Administration had earlier approved the faster slaughter rate. The decision by the Biden White House is ironic in that it is now pushing beef processing plants to speed up their fabrication to address a backlog of cattle and rising beef cutout prices. In any event, ask pork packing plants to tie one arm behind their back and operate less efficiently to appease a labor force afraid of losing jobs will ultimately have the opposite effect – it will encourage plants to automate further and o...
Key Takeaways: The CME Group is launching new 90 percent Lean Beef and 50 percent Lean Beef futures and options contracts in July. There are five key factors that must be present in physical markets and futures contract specifications for futures contracts to become successful. The two l...
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...
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.