Recognizing risks and adequately managing them is a key function in the operation of any commercial activity, and it is especially so for agribusiness.The grain business, which is the accumulating, storing, transporting, merchandizing and processing of grain and oilseeds, has always been notoriously low margin and high risk. The best and perhaps only way to survive and prosper in it continues to be the application of proprietary efficiencies to large volumes so as to earn economies of scale while successfully managing risks. When we started out in the grain business so many years ago, small country grain elevators dotted the landscape throughout the Midwest and the Plains seemingly every few miles, and numerous regional merchandizing compan...
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...
Key Takeaways: With the fall calf run now upon us, producers are finally getting a glimpse of what their realized profits will be for 2026. Some producers may have already obtained a strong estimate of 2026 revenues, especially if calves were forward sold in, for example, the mid-summer...
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...
From WPI Consulting
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.