Polarized WTO It is not just politics in the U.S. and Europe that are polarized – so is the global trading system. India plans to host developing country members of the WTO at a meeting next week in New Delhi to discuss how to boost their advantage in the organization. India and others correctly note that the rich countries are allowed greater subsidies for their agriculture sectors. However, this was the Uruguay Round outcome because developing countries lacked the cash for subsidies and so instead tend to have much higher tariff and nontariff border protections than rich countries in order to artificially spike domestic farm prices. Now that India and her ilk are richer, they want more subsidies while maintaining their ability to k...
Agriculture generates a lot of numbers in addition to crops and livestock. As ag economists, we are continually reviewing crop production, commodity prices, farm incomes, and international trade. You don’t often see much about capital investment in the ag press, however. New mills and gra...
What You Need to Know Today: The U.S. and Iran resumed missile strikes after a brief pause in fighting, raising concerns that the five-month conflict could expand across the Middle East. Jordan intercepted Iranian missiles, Kuwait reported a fatal strike, and drone attacks damaged two natural...
The Senate Agriculture Committee will take up the farm bill next week, and a number of amendments targeting the meat industry are expected to be offered. Two of the most potentially damaging are the Schumer amendment, based on his bill, the Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act, and mandatory co...
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.