Iowa State University has announced that a new strain of the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) has been discovered in samples taken from Illinois and Missouri. PEDv Cases Growing; New Strain Found Iowa State University has announced that a new strain of the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) has been discovered in samples taken from Illinois and Missouri. There is not a consensus on whether this is a mutant strain or a new one that was introduced separately. PEDv has been found in 23 U.S. states and was discovered in Canada last week. The virus does not transmit to humans nor does it have a major effect on hogs. However, it is about 75 percent fatal in piglets. The American Association of Swine Veterinarians reports that there we...
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.
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...