Stress-tolerant maize being developed for use in Africa, which has as many as 70 strains, is believed to be capable of combating a number of serious growing problems there and have the potential to increase crop yields by as much as 50 percent. Regional Updates MIDDLE EAST/MEDITERRANEAN COMMENTS The second shipment of U.S. wheat, donated through USAID to the World Food Program, has arrived in Yemen for distribution there with 10,000 MT for Aden port and 20,000 MT for Hodeidah port.Lithuania reports that its wheat exports increased by close to 50 percent in February with shipments going to Turkey, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.A Turkish company has announced plans to build a grain processing facility in Kazakhs...
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.