Southeast Asia's palm oil industry has incurred persistent attacks from Western environmental and animal protection groups for its destruction of rainforests and the habitat of animals like the orangutan. Both the EU and U.S. governments are proposing to deny biodiesel made from palm the ability to qualify as an acceptable biofuel because it does not reduce greenhouse gases sufficiently. It is only a matter of time until some consumer group once again slams palm oil in food as a cause of heart disease. Wherever the palm oil industry looks, one group or another is trying to put it out of business.Yet the palm oil industry is immensely profitable. Global demand for palm oil is increasing every year and surplus stocks are very low. The June...
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
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.