Following are some observations on the Senate farm bill as it stands today with some of the remaining controversies and a look at a few of the other programs that are of interest. Peanuts Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia) is preparing a new program for peanuts to propose to the Senate farm bill. Peanuts are atypical from most of the commodity program crops when it comes to insurance coverage. First of all, there is no crop revenue insurance program for peanuts. Second, most of the commodity program crops covered in the insurance program are exchange-traded, and thus prices are easier to establish and insure against. Peanuts, however, are not traded and are more exposed to price swings. The president of the Western Peanut Growers Assoc...
Key Takeaways: President Trump announced $8 billion in additional agricultural assistance through the Harvest Fuel Relief Program, as USDA projects farm fuel and oil expenses will increase 28.8 percent in 2026. The package follows $12 billion in earlier relief, while government farm payments w...
Key Takeaways: A student group from the University of Chicago is protesting to bring back onion futures trading. Trading in onion futures was banned in 1958 following a spectacular bout of market manipulation that resulted in a corner of the physical market. The ban on onion futures led t...
Beef packer margins deteriorated to $141/head last week, down $55 from the prior week as fed cattle prices strengthened while the Choice cutout remained nearly unchanged. The cutout held near $373/cwt while fed cattle prices climbed $4/cwt to $224/cwt, narrowing processor profits. Despite the d...
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.