Biodiversity Killer The EU is mandating that 25 percent of agricultural production be organic. Member states are being told that organic brings social, economic, and environmental benefits. They are also being told that organic agriculture naturally tilts in favor of small farms. The metrics behind these assertions are harder to find than the once hidden JRC modeling that ultimately found economic harm from the planned Farm to Fork strategy. If 25 percent brings benefits, why not make it 100 percent? If Austrian farmers have already reached 25 percent organic, can it be proved that they are better off than farmers in other countries? If organic naturally favors small farms, why do Greece and Poland have low rates of organic adoption when t...
What You Need to Know Today: Crude oil prices dropped sharply with traffic flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. There were reports that Iran was behind an attack on a cargo ship near the coast of Oman, which would be a violation of the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran. Pr...
On Wednesday, the White House submitted a national security supplemental spending request for $87.6 billion. The majority of the request includes funding for the conflict in the Middle East, but there are agricultural provisions as well. The supplemental funding package includes more than $11 b...
Can we really expect a bushel of corn to carry an environmental passport throughout the entire food system? One that reliably documents its carbon footprint, biodiversity impacts, water use, soil carbon, and other environmental attributes all the way from the farm field to the consumer? This is...
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.