During the last decade, the total amount of multilateral donations to least-developed countries for agriculture increased by 80 percent. The share of all financial aid to poor countries that is geared toward agriculture rose by 48 percent. Over that same period, only cowpeas experienced any significant improvement in yield. The average yield for maize declined over that time-period. Maize yields in the EU, which were already five times greater, increased by an additional 3.7 percent during that same five-year period. This analysis is somewhat flawed in that there is a lag effect between initial inflows of investment and productive results. The investment may not have been distributed evenly across crops and weather impacts can be highly va...
What You Need to Know Today: Commodities were mostly lower across the board today after yesterday’s Federal Reserve meeting hinted at a potential interest rate hike later in 2026. The dollar index reached its highest level in over a year, and a strong dollar makes U.S. agricultural expor...
Tomorrow is the Juneteenth federal holiday, and the USDA, along with the rest of the federal government and the CME, will be closed, so the monthly Cattle on Feed report was released a day early. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity on 1 June amounted...
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.