Markets could get difficult to trade moving forward. If the tariff and trade sanction threats weren’t enough, the promises of assistance for farmers coming from the White House and USDA now add another element of political risk for buyers and sellers to navigate. It is indeed hard to keep score of the ongoing stream of political ups and downs that might trigger policy reactions in the coming months before the 2018 election. First, the farm bill has recently become a partisan wedge issue, and its fate is up in the air. A chairman’s mark may be tabled in the House Agriculture Committee as soon as this week, or a one-year extension of the farm bill may just as likely be passed in September before Congress adjourns and heads out to...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The big news in the cattle markets yesterday was Tyson Foods’ move to close two more beef plants. One of them, the Joslin, Illinois, plant was shuttered immediately after the announcement. The other, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a case-ready plant that does not slaughter cattle. Tyson also...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...
From WPI Consulting
Accountability and a comprehensive approach to export programming
WPI’s team helped construct a strategic approach to develop, implement, and track promotional activities in 8 key regions across the globe for an agricultural export association. With continued progress measurement and strategic advisory services from WPI, the association has seen its ROI from investments in promotional programming increase by 44 percent over the past 5 years. Not only does this type of holistic approach to organizational strategy provide measurable results to track and analyze, it fosters top-down and bottom-up organizational accountability.