In a decision released today, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) upheld California’s Proposition 12 which imposed minimum space requirements for livestock and poultry production. For pork, the requirement was that meat will be required to come from animals farrowed from sows who had a minimum of 24 square feet in pens and the ability to “turn around freely.” Prop 12 was passed as a referendum in 2018 and has been subject to delays in regulatory implementation on California’s end, plus several legal challenges – all unsuccessful to date. SCOTUS heard the challenge brought by the National Pork Producers’ Council (NPPC) and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). In addition to the regulati...
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) enters its mandated six-year review on 1 July. The original intent of the review is outlined in Article 34.7, which obligates members to: Provide recommendations and decide on appropriate actions. Extend the USMCA for another 16 years and meet aga...
Key Market Insights Geopolitical Limbo: Geopolitical risk remained a key driver across global commodity markets today. President Trump stated that the Iran memorandum of understanding is not yet final and warned that military action could resume if negotiations fail. Both sides continue w...
From WPI Consulting
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.