China has just over 18 percent of the world’s population, but its food imports and consumption share of world food supplies varies greatly. Soybeans are a well-known story. The Middle Kingdom consumes 30 percent of the world’s soybeans and, to its chagrin, it imports 62 percent of the global trade in the oilseed. It is also an outsized consumer of other food products but is not currently as import dependent in them as it is in soybeans. However, food exporters elsewhere in the world might see similar opportunities as soybeans, particularly as Chinese consumers become wealthier. It is a large consumer and importer of cotton but higher value products like meat and seafood might be better targets. Again, this is based on lim...
What You Need to Know Today: The corn and soybean markets closed slightly higher in low-volume trade. The wheat market was mixed, with HRW continuing its downward trek on improved moisture. As expected, the bearish cattle on feed report drove down cattle prices and pulled hogs down with it. Mi...
USDA’s monthly cattle on feed report was released today. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity amounted to 11.6 million head, 102 percent of last year. Source: USDA, WPI Placements were up, but part of that is attributable to persistent drought c...
Let’s return briefly to the fake meat hype cycle, now sitting somewhere in a dusty corner of your mind, not entirely forgotten. What happened to all those products, known as plant-based alternative proteins? They were supposed to be as good as real meat—cheaper, more environmentally...
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.