The least developed countries (LDCs) are demanding an indefinite (read permanent) exemption from having to honor any intellectual property rights to pharmaceuticals, and the U.S. is being called “egregious” for the “meager” offer of granting a ten-year waiver from obligations. R&D Scuttled Research and development (R&D), be it pharmaceuticals or agriculture, requires a paymaster. EU farm ministers are arguing that the European Patent Office’s recent ruling granting patents to crops bred for unique traits will undermine agricultural R&D. However, the U.S. grants such protections. The result, according to the European Investment Bank, is that agricultural R&D in America is nearly 40 percent greater, and half of it is generat...
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.