Although several crops are at risk due to the drought in southern China, rice is said to be the most at risk. This is because almost half the country’s rice crop is produced in the six provinces being impacted (Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Henan, Jiangxi and Anhui). Some call it a severe challenge. One advisory firm warns that its vegetative health index for the affected region “is at the lowest level in more than two decades.” Rice is a water intensive crop and soil moisture levels are said to be at a 12-year low. Still, others say crop production will not be severely impacted. Li Guoxiang of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times that the places where it will be felt most strongly are in the mo...
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.
Key Takeaways: Global and U.S. cotton demand has struggled since the post-COVID-19 pandemic surge, which has left cotton prices drifting lower in the U.S. The war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, along with their impact on global energy markets, could boost cotton demand...
Key Takeaways: Continued domestic demand for soyoil in the U.S. will drive prices higher and create a firmer outlook for global soybean values and crush margins. U.S. soyoil prices are set to increase 13-16 percent over the next four months as the domestic demand expansion takes hold. Th...