WTO Objectives versus Leverage Cairns Group members called for a WTO agreement to halve the amount of domestic supports allowed in agriculture and a subset called for negotiating entitlements such as special and differential treatment by developing countries. Proponents claim that globally, subsidies to agriculture have increased from $341 billion to $772 billion over 15 years (5.6 percent/year) and predict they are on pace to exceed $2 billion by 2030 (a 10 percent annual expansion). They also call for improvements to market access. The goals are laudable, but the missing component is leverage. The WTO requires consensus to change the rules and countries that are newly gaining the economic power to achieve the subsidy levels they a...
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.