Regional News The EU-UK Brexit trade deal is seen as a positive development for UK grain markets. The lack of tariffs and quotas means export/imports will continue freely. The UK will likely benefit this year due to its expected need for greater imports. Temperatures across the Black Sea and the Balkans are running some 10°C above normal, which is working against what little snow cover is present. Next week’s forecast shows cold weather pressing south into southern Russia, which will create a sharp decrease in temperatures. That increases the risk of frost/winterkill damage to the Russian and broader Black Sea crops. WPI sources say cold temperatures in Belarus during the first week of January have not hurt wi...
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...
We have described the long-term investment climate in crop and livestock production, using data primarily from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The data provided background on the current investment climate and outlook for agricultural capital formation. Our conclusion was that investment...
From WPI Consulting
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.