The Senate passed the farm bill last night by a vote of 66-27. Seven Senators did not vote. Only two Democrats, Senators Jake Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse (both of Rhode Island), voted against the bill; the other 25 "no" votes were Republicans, including Agriculture Committee members Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) and John Thune (R-South Dakota). The 2012 version passed last year by a vote of 64-35, with one missing vote from Senator Mark Kirk (R-Illinois). Last year five Democrats and 30 Republicans -- including Kirk -- voted "no."Now the action moves to the House of Representatives during the week of 17 June. Tomorrow the House Leadership intends to conduct a whip count, which is a survey of how many lawmakers i...
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
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.