The Federal Reserve Banks issued the first Beige Book for 2019 on 16 January. The report is published eight times per year (the previous release was on 5 December 2018, and the next will be in March). Each bank gathers anecdotal information on the current economic conditions in its district by sector, including agriculture, which is sourced through reports from bank and branch directors, economists, traders, and industry. Given the dearth of market information from USDA due to the month-long government shutdown, there is a heightened interest in this month’s Beige Book. The biggest concerns in the ag economy were trade issues, especially for soybeans; large supplies, particularly in dairy and hogs; and soft energy prices pushing down...
The corn and soy complex closed higher, with the wheat market mixed, as winter wheat closed up but spring wheat and livestock ended lower. Part of the strength for corn and soybeans may have been a weather premium, as crop planting has started out fast but warm weather has been slow to develop...
Real GDP grew at a 2 percent annual rate in the first quarter of 2026, slightly below the consensus expectation of 2.3 percent but above the 0.5 percent growth in Q4 2025. The GDP number matches the average annualized pace of growth since the peak back in late 2007, right before the Financial P...
Reflect for a moment on what you eat. There is a lot of advice out there in the ether about what you should eat, but really, what do you currently eat and how much? The good people at the USDA have some data for you, to help you answer that question. USDA says that we eat quite a bit of meat. L...
From WPI Consulting
Accountability and a comprehensive approach to export programming
WPI’s team helped construct a strategic approach to develop, implement, and track promotional activities in 8 key regions across the globe for an agricultural export association. With continued progress measurement and strategic advisory services from WPI, the association has seen its ROI from investments in promotional programming increase by 44 percent over the past 5 years. Not only does this type of holistic approach to organizational strategy provide measurable results to track and analyze, it fosters top-down and bottom-up organizational accountability.