World Perspectives
livestock

Africa Rising

A new report by USDA’s Economic Research Service entitled Market Opportunities Expanding for Agricultural Trade and Investment in Africa cites several dynamics of note. By 2200, the region’s population will be 3.4 billion, 20 percent larger than China and India currently combined. Its population is rapidly urbanizing, making food availability and imports more important. Its economies are growing and will be particularly boosted by the new AfCFTA and its removal of trade barriers.  While Africa has traditionally been an importer of bulk commodities, it is increasingly a taker of intermediate and consumer-oriented foods. For example, it already ranks third behind East Asia and the Middle East for chicken meat imports but its...

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Summary of Futures

Sep 25 Corn closed at $4.0925/bushel, down $0.0225 from yesterday's close.  Sep 25 Wheat closed at $5.3825/bushel, down $0.025 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.27/bushel, up $0.0225 from yesterday's close.  Aug 25 Soymeal closed at $275.8/short ton, up $0.2...

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From WPI Consulting

Illuminating the value of technical research

On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.

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