As Gary Blumenthal mentioned in yesterday’s report, the Sacramento County Superior Court has delayed the implementation of Proposition 12 for 180 days. The rule was to go into effect on 1 January, but the implementing rules were not complete. The statute imposes civil and criminal penalties, and some packers were preparing to avoid the California market altogether given the risks. The delayed implementation certainly supports what was already a bullish outlook for hog prices in the first half of 2022. The market hog inventory is still tight as 2022 begins. As we reported on 23 December, farrowings from September to November were 3.01 million, or about 95 percent of a year earlier, and farrowing intentions for December to...
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.
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...