A relatively minor crop, just a little over 2 MMT of oats are globally traded each year. Still, it is an important niche and yet seemingly in decline. This year’s crop is slightly larger than last year’s, but that isn’t saying much since that one was the smallest in over a decade. Most of the exportable oats come from just a handful of countries, with Canada the top dog. It mostly supplies the U.S., which is the top dog of oat importers. This year will be the smallest amount of oats exported by the top five suppliers since 2016/17. The UK and Australia will export slightly more, but not enough to offset the declines from Canada, Russia, and the EU. Europe basically imports about as much as they export, possibly as v...
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: Day three of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour found corn yield potential below last year in both Illinois and western Iowa. Illinois corn yields averaged 184.2 bushels/acre, down from 199.6 bushels/acre last year and the 199.2 bushels/acre three-year average, while wester...
The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) projects China’s chicken imports to drop by 33 percent this year and another 15 percent next year, as domestic production outpaces growing consumption and the country’s own exports surge. In its annual report on the Chinese poultry...
Key Takeaways: $13 billion in new U.S. dairy processing investment is moving across the sector, led by cheese ($3.2 billion), milk and cream ($2.9 billion), and yogurt and cultured dairy ($2.8 billion), with butter-powder capacity ($1.6 billion) and ice cream ($530 million) rounding out the bu...