Tale of Two Stories The U.S.-China bilateral meeting is reportedly back on, assuming President Trump does not interfere again. He doesn’t want to talk to Beijing due to ongoing anger over COVID-19. However, USTR Robert Lighthizer gave China cover this week in discussing the Phase One commodity purchases. He said they have done the best they can considering the circumstances (e.g. COVID-hit economy), and they have made a record amount of agricultural purchases. That is actually quite generous considering two things: 1) Chinese consumer demand for pork and concurrently feed demand means they could be buying more pork and corn than they are; and 2) Beijing will be on the offensive over Washington’s assault on its technology compan...
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
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.