Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), chairwoman of the Senate Ag Committee, this week announced that she will mark up a farm bill this spring. Stabenow is marketing the farm bill, arguing that no two priorities are more pressing than deficit reduction and job creation, and that the farm bill she crafts would be a vehicle for both."The farm bill is a jobs bill," Stabenow said. "Farm bill programs give small business and farmers critical tools that help them invest and grow."Madame Chairwoman, if farm employment were significant, then the Bureau of Labor Statistics wouldn't exclude farm employment from its monthly employment report. However, Senator John Hoven (R-North Dakota) argued that agriculture is an important job creator. "Agricultu...
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
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.