USDA’s December WASDE, released at midday, fits right into the history of previous issues for this month. They very seldom contain surprises but are always interesting, especially since they come along at a time of year when markets must search hard to find anything that is compelling. This is surely the case in December 2017 when the most interesting things are South American weather forecasts. As Mike Krueger noted yesterday, December WASDEs do not provide fresh production estimates for crops harvested in the fall. We must wait until 12 January for USDA’s final scheduled estimates for U.S. 2017/18 corn, soybeans and grain sorghum production. For the December WASDE, markets usually focus on whatever adjustments are made to pro...
Grain China’s General Administration of Customs says that grain imports were up 34.3 percent in April and an overall 18.1 percent for the January to April period. On the one hand, China produces more grain that it consumes and stockpiles large volumes. But Canadian grain analyst Mitch Mil...
As we reported on 19 May, China has also committed to the resumption of U.S. poultry imports from states without confirmed HPAI detections. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has updated its China export restrictions webpage to reflect that China has lifted HPAI-rel...
Key Takeaways: Brazil has been the second-largest producer of fuel ethanol globally, but almost all of it was derived from sugarcane until recently. Corn ethanol production has increased due to expanded second-crop corn production, sugarcane storage limitations, and biofuel policy. Brazil is e...
From WPI Consulting
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.