Spain Retaliates As expected, Spain adopted legislation specifying that only EU-origin biodiesel can be used to satisfy that its biodiesel blending requirement. The measure effectively bans the importation and use of Argentine biodiesel and was adopted as retaliation against Argentina's decision to nationalize YPF, Argentina's largest petroleum company. Last week President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner expropriated 51 percent of YPF controlled by Spanish oil company Repsol.Argentina exported about $991 million worth of biodiesel to Spain in 2011, and these biodiesel imports have largely put the Spanish biodiesel industry out of business. Thus, the ban will be applauded by Spanish biodiesel makers who should now be able to rebuild their...
Key Takeaways: President Trump announced $8 billion in additional agricultural assistance through the Harvest Fuel Relief Program, as USDA projects farm fuel and oil expenses will increase 28.8 percent in 2026. The package follows $12 billion in earlier relief, while government farm payments w...
Key Takeaways: A student group from the University of Chicago is protesting to bring back onion futures trading. Trading in onion futures was banned in 1958 following a spectacular bout of market manipulation that resulted in a corner of the physical market. The ban on onion futures led t...
Beef packer margins deteriorated to $141/head last week, down $55 from the prior week as fed cattle prices strengthened while the Choice cutout remained nearly unchanged. The cutout held near $373/cwt while fed cattle prices climbed $4/cwt to $224/cwt, narrowing processor profits. Despite the d...
From WPI Consulting
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.