The current politics of free trade are so complex that the basic issues involved sometimes get lost.One definition of free trade is that it allows me to freely export goods and services to you, but it does not allow you to export freely to me.A great many years ago, I spoke at an annual members meeting of a Midwestern regional coop, which included farmers plus managers and board members of country elevators that were part of the group. After I had finished, one farmer asked why everyone paid so much attention to grain exports since he could not see how that benefitted him. I was surprised as I assumed grain exports were completely noncontroversial. The best response I could formulate on the fly was to point out that about half of each year'...
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.