One thing which certainly has been sparked by the fire at the Tyson meatpacking plant in Kansas is the age old producer versus packer tensions among more populist producers. A social media campaign started last week in response to the market data since the 9 August fire. Packer margins shot up after the fire, driven by retailers booking purchases and driving up the price of boxed beef while the fed cattle market suffered from oversupply versus capacity to process them. Much of the effort is centered on a social media blitz using the hashtag #FairCattleMarkets. The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) is involved. The group has been at the forefront of efforts to end the Beef Checkoff in the past, as well as supporting the origi...
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.