Ineffective Foundations: A consortium of do-gooder foundations seeking to influence U.S. farm bill policy has staked out very broad and very long-term objectives -- none of it earth-shattering but none of it influential, either. The AGree initiative includes notables like former USDA Secretary Dan Glickman, but it has attracted more interest from followers expressing glee that California may require GMO labeling. Given the narrowing of agriculture-based congressional districts and expanded power of urbanites, one would have expected more influence over the farm bill writing process. One congressional aide reacted by saying foundations think just because they have a lot of money that Congress should listen to them. In other words, it is vo...
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.