Wheat New crop wheat continues to capture the attention of many farmers, traders, and analysts in Argentina. The drought is not ending and there are places in the country where more than two months have passed without meaningful rains, which is affecting the wheat crop. Initial estimates were for a planting of 6.7 million hectares (Mha) and the country has seeded 6.2 Mha so far with 10 percent of fields yet unplanted. Typically, by this time of year, only 6 percent of fields are left unplanted. The lower planted area is not the only problem, however. Many producers have not been able to fertilize their crop, which can affect not only yields but also grain quality. Quarterly forecasts weather forecasts are not encouraging either as a...
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...
We have described the long-term investment climate in crop and livestock production, using data primarily from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The data provided background on the current investment climate and outlook for agricultural capital formation. Our conclusion was that investment...
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.