USDA Acting Undersecretary Michael Scuse yesterday testified on behalf of the Administration at the Senate Agriculture Committee hearing. Scuse defended the use of permanent disaster funds, citing that 200,000 producers were covered under the five new permanent programs from the 2008 Farm Bill. All programs expired on 30 September 2011, at the beginning of FY 2012.The Administration proposes to extend these disaster assistance programs or implement similar programs -- either through the 2017 crop year or to the end of the next farm bill -- at a cost of about $8.4 billion over 10 years. Direct payments would be eliminated; but, permanent disaster funds would be combined with crop revenue coverage to provide a safety net and fill the role of...
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.