Ethanol Skids The ethanol industry's long run of policy and market support is catching headwinds from all directions. Although enactment into law will be tough, a U.S. House science committee today approved an amendment that would require EPA to commission a National Academy of Sciences study on E-15 before allowing it to be marketed. The amendment was supported by such eclectic groups as Friends of the Earth and the American Petroleum Institute, plus various food producer groups. Market prices have been on the skids since September and while sugar market analysts disagree over the extent of the impact, a surge in new production will alleviate a tight market and possibly give competition to U.S. ethanol exports. The upside is a possible...
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...
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.