Optics or Impact If the perceived seriousness of the U.S. drought is reflected in this Friday's USDA WASDE report, pressure will increase on policymakers to take action. Harris Interactive reports that more than a third of the public already is concerned that the drought will lead to higher food prices. The International Food Policy Research Institute is the first but not the last multilateral organization to come out and demand a "halt" in biofuel production from maize out of concern for rising food prices in poor countries. The ethanol industry obviously is concerned as it unified into a new "Council" to coordinate its efforts influencing future policy. The extent of the drought will determine if any action is taken, but also whether t...
What You Need to Know Today: Cattle futures extended their sharp selloff Friday as weakening cash cattle prices, deteriorating feedlot profitability, and reduced packer demand continued to weigh on the market. The inability of futures to sustain a rally following last week's bullish Cattle on...
As predicted, the Federal Reserve held rates steady at the last meeting before the midterm elections, likely in part because of the election (see WPI 19 October and 22 September). The decision comes at the tail end of a midterm election cycle that has been marked by the two parties campaigning...
Key Takeaways: WPI’s new EU rapeseed crushing margin models point to weaker processing returns over the next four months due to higher rapeseed procurement costs and weaker product values. Statistical forecasts call for German crushing margins to decline from €181/MT to €...
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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.