According to an analysis by Bloomberg, China is far behind in making the product purchases from the U.S. that it promised in the Phase One agreement demanded by former President Donald Trump. As of the end of February 2021, China has purchased only a third of the $375 billion in goods that it committed to buying by the end of 2021. Despite buying U.S. corn and soybeans to the point of low stock levels, China has nearly 60 percent of the value of agricultural purchases still to be made in the last 10 months of a two-year period. The question is, what are the implications for noncompliance? The agreement is an oddity in American trade policy. The 1973 agreement with the Soviet Union for grain purchases was designed to protect against e...
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.