Goose and the Gander President Donald Trump says he wants to make the U.S. a manufacturing powerhouse no longer dependent on China. Those in agriculture have heard this paean for decades by governments around the world. The goal of food self-sufficiency remains elusive for many but not for lack of trying via heavy subsidies. The result in food has been distorted markets, with over-production in some areas and food insecurity in others. Agriculture may be different from manufacturing from the standpoint food is a necessity and weather is a larger influence, the fundamentals of business remain the same. Separately, China objected at the WTO to Mr. Trump requiring products from Hong Kong to be labeled made in China. The politics...
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
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.