Russia WTO Accession The office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has reminded Capitol Hill that its top legislative priority this year is removal of Russia from Jackson-Vanik restrictions. This will enable the granting of permanent most favored nation (MFN) status and thus U.S. benefits when Russia formally accedes to the WTO later this month. The hurdle of Congressional concern over human rights abuses may be answered by separate legislation that would potentially apply travel restrictions to Russian officials. Of course, Russia has not been helping U.S. congressional efforts: The EU is set to launch a dispute settlement case against Moscow for WTO non-compliance immediately after it joins, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pr...
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.