Note: WPI chief market analyst Matt Herrington is away on travel until 20 June. New crop futures traded higher again today as there is still no improvement in a weather pattern that compelled USDA to drop the share of corn and soybeans rated Good/Excellent to lows not seen in four years and ten years respectively. It should be noted that while the corn crop four years ago was smaller, the soybean crop a decade ago turned out fine. Forecasters are increasingly highlighting the adverse impacts of the new El Nino weather pattern. It will increase food costs. However, it cannot be blamed for U.S. grocery prices jumping 5.8 percent in May, well ahead of El Nino. Instead, food price pressures should be to the downside as Braz...
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.