World Perspectives
biofuel energy

Policy Roundup

Rural Campaign An article in the Capitol Hill news outlet Politico declares the USDA-issued document "Strengthening Rural Communities" to be "Obama's play for the rural vote." Perhaps, but it is a play for a very narrow subset of the sector. The report brags that there are now more than a quarter million organic cows, ignoring that is a very small share (2 percent) of the total herd. Moreover, it uses a base period (2000-08) that precedes the Obama Administration. There is now discussion of the productivity lag as a result of making milk with this non-science-based standard.The report also emphasizes that public agriculture research delivers returns of 10-20 times, and shows a slight recent uptick. But it matters where the money is spent...

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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.

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