The Week after Florence The North Carolina Department of Agriculture released estimates of the damage from Hurricane Florence, indicating 5,500 hogs and pigs were lost (versus 2,800 in 2016 with Hurricane Matthew) along with 3.4 million birds (both turkey and broilers). The state has 831 million broilers and 9 million swine. Estimates on crop losses are not available, but those of lagoons and manure spills total around 25 instances with varying degrees of severity. The footprint of the hurricane covered the state’s top six ag-producing counties and repeated the flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew, meaning some poultry and swine operations were still financially and operationally recovering. The poultry and livestock death toll coul...
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
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.