Given the federal government's current fiscal condition, the newly imposed sequestration of federal spending, mounting federal debt and several years of record high commodity prices, farmers' direct payments are doomed. They are the favorite cost-cutting target of virtually every budgeter who puts pen to paper to produce a fiscal blueprint, including the Senate and House Agriculture Committees, the Senate and House Budget Committees, the Office of Management and Budget and the Senate Democratic leadership in its sequester avoidance plan. Because of the 2012 Farm Bill's one-year extension, direct payments are like a condemned prisoner waiting out his days on death row. They may be terminated this year -- or, like a prisoner getting a repri...
Yesterday, Alberta held a referendum on whether to begin the process toward independence from Canada. With more than one million votes counted as of early Tuesday morning, around 77 percent supported remaining in Canada, and 23 percent voted to start the process of separation, according to unof...
Mediterranean/Middle East/North Africa/Africa – MEA Region Pakistan’s smaller wheat farmers have been holding protests to complain about the lack of a support price for wheat and the potential expansion of GMO crop production. They also want the reinstatement of PASSCO, the governme...
What You Need to Know Today: Harvest pressure in the U.S. sent corn and soybeans lower as supplies increased and there were signs USDA’s upward revisions to yields in the October WASDE could be close to right. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalated over the weekend, with Ukrai...
From WPI Consulting
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.