USDA's weekly crop ratings report can be a valuable tool if market participants use them as a guide and not as a scientifically factual, reliable yield-estimating tool. Unfortunately, that is what they have become. Their power was again demonstrated by the market actions on Tuesday and Wednesday.Every year at the start of the growing season, WPI writes an analysis of the value of USDA’s weekly crop progress report, and this is it for 2017. Those reports are released every Monday throughout the planting, growing and harvesting seasons with estimates of the progress made as well as crop condition ratings. They are a valuable source of information to the trade, especially the planting and harvest progress sections. The crop ratings can a...
What You Need to Know Today: After a period of limited activity, USDA reported a sizeable 613 KMT in soybean export sales, including 330 KMT to China and 283 KMT to unknown destinations, potentially also China. The purchases represent a meaningful pickup in demand and bring China closer to ful...
Key Takeaways: Consumer spending is a key driver of the U.S. economy, and the latest retail sales data indicate that spending remains robust despite inflation. In September, total retail and food service sales rose more than 6 percent year-over-year, with food service spending up 7 percent and...
The Trump import plan for 300,000 MT of beef supplies used for ground beef, i.e., lean trim, from September through November has, according to Secretary Brooke Rollins, brought some relief to beef prices. The Executive Order states that the Secretary of Agriculture will analyze and review the m...
From WPI Consulting
Accountability and a comprehensive approach to export programming
WPI’s team helped construct a strategic approach to develop, implement, and track promotional activities in 8 key regions across the globe for an agricultural export association. With continued progress measurement and strategic advisory services from WPI, the association has seen its ROI from investments in promotional programming increase by 44 percent over the past 5 years. Not only does this type of holistic approach to organizational strategy provide measurable results to track and analyze, it fosters top-down and bottom-up organizational accountability.