U.S. agriculture utilized a quarter-million temporary migrant workers last year under the H-2A agricultural guest worker program, and it was still far from enough labor. The problem, say farmers, is that the program is slow and too complex. Even though most applications for H-2A labor are filed electronically, the Department of Labor is proposing to mandate it and is also simplifying the associated wage requirements. Meanwhile, legislation has been proposed on Capitol Hill that would eliminate the complicated Adverse Effect Wage Rate requirement altogether and shift responsibility for guest farm workers from the Department of Labor to USDA. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) sent a letter to the Trump administration d...
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...
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.