World Perspectives

Staying in Lanes; Goodbye Ag; East-West Helps the Poor

Staying in Lanes Under ideal governance, elected legislatures create the principles of public policy. For example, pesticides should be used when proven scientifically safe and banned when proven harmful. Regulators then implement those principles using expertise uniquely held by impartial experts. Politicians come under career ending pressure from activists and voters in a manner not experienced by career scientists. Politics led to a ban on the sweeteners cyclamate and saccharin many decades ago based on junk science and politics, and were subsequently shown to not cause cancer. Now Congressman Bennie Thompson (R-Mississippi) says Republicans will work to allow pesticides banned by the U.S. Environmental protection Agency. Not because Co...

Related Articles

China Market Analysis

The overarching concern for China is that the rising cost of energy will reduce global trade demand at the same time that countries are becoming more protectionist.  Trump Visit to China President Trump’s visit to China is in just over two weeks, though some question whether the trip...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Jul 26 Corn closed at $4.755/bushel, up $0.0625 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Wheat closed at $6.5775/bushel, up $0.28 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Soybeans closed at $11.8925/bushel, down $0.0275 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Soymeal closed at $327.4/short ton, down $0.4...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

WPI Crop Progress and Conditions App (Updated 27 April)

Update for 6 April 2025: Last year, users pointed out differences between the 5-year averages reported in this app and what USDA estimates in its weekly report. The difference exists because WPI calculates average based on the last 5 years of observations for the current week. In cases where ob...

China Market Analysis

The overarching concern for China is that the rising cost of energy will reduce global trade demand at the same time that countries are becoming more protectionist.  Trump Visit to China President Trump’s visit to China is in just over two weeks, though some question whether the trip...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Jul 26 Corn closed at $4.755/bushel, up $0.0625 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Wheat closed at $6.5775/bushel, up $0.28 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Soybeans closed at $11.8925/bushel, down $0.0275 from yesterday's close.  Jul 26 Soymeal closed at $327.4/short ton, down $0.4...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

WPI Crop Progress and Conditions App (Updated 27 April)

Update for 6 April 2025: Last year, users pointed out differences between the 5-year averages reported in this app and what USDA estimates in its weekly report. The difference exists because WPI calculates average based on the last 5 years of observations for the current week. In cases where ob...

livestock

Livestock Industry Margins

Beef packer margins improved to -$100/head last week, up $28 from the prior week as the Choice cutout stabilized following its brief post-Easter decline while fed cattle prices eased modestly. The cutout firmed to $384/cwt, while fed cattle prices slipped to $246/cwt, allowing packer margins to...

Image
From WPI Consulting

Accountability and a comprehensive approach to export programming

WPI’s team helped construct a strategic approach to develop, implement, and track promotional activities in 8 key regions across the globe for an agricultural export association. With continued progress measurement and strategic advisory services from WPI, the association has seen its ROI from investments in promotional programming increase by 44 percent over the past 5 years. Not only does this type of holistic approach to organizational strategy provide measurable results to track and analyze, it fosters top-down and bottom-up organizational accountability.

Search World Perspectives

Sign In to World Perspectives

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up