When agreement is weak and a lot must get done, the political and logistical solution is big lumpy omnibus bills laden with lots of sweeteners to placate the grumpy. Omnibus Trade Bill The U.S. Congress was too sharply divided to reach agreement on the traditional, dozen legislative measures used to fund the government each year, but it did manage to reach agreement earlier this month on one behemoth (1,582 pages) bill called the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014. Meanwhile, the new Agriculture Act of 2014 affects 15 percent of household budgets and weighs in at just under 1,000 pages. It goes to the President for signature as early as next week (see below). When agreement is weak and a lot must get done, the political and logistica...
What You Need to Know Today: U.S. weather is getting more attention this week as conditions vary greatly across the western, central, and eastern corn belts, with the different regions battling dryness and too much rain simultaneously. The ProFarmer Crop Tour began today in Indiana and Nebrask...
Key Takeaways: Argentina is on pace for a record corn crop and record exports in the current marketing year, with abundant supplies likely to keep the country highly competitive in global export markets. Argentina’s record exportable surplus is allowing it to offer highly competitive pri...
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.