French farmers reportedly blocked more than 400 trucks carrying perishable food products from Germany and Spain into France, complaining about the impact of imported foods on local markets and the poor financial situation of some domestic livestock farmers. Politics of Food Helena Bottemiller Evich, agricultural reporter for Politico Pro, writes that leaders of the "good food" sector (e.g., Chipotle, Whole Foods) are ignoring the opportunity to lobby the U.S. Congress. She says the good food industry is winning in the marketplace, and they think that is enough to carry the influence they need in Washington. After William Saletan's article in Slate magazine highlighted the intentional mischaracterizations (what he called outright "fraud")...
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...
The big news in the cattle markets yesterday was Tyson Foods’ move to close two more beef plants. One of them, the Joslin, Illinois, plant was shuttered immediately after the announcement. The other, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a case-ready plant that does not slaughter cattle. Tyson also...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...
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.