Part of China’s October buying burst can be attributed to compensating for the slow pace of its new crop 2015/16 soybeans purchases during prior months. No doubt, the low soybean prices that prevailed during much of October attracted Chinese buyers, but there was another important factor.In discussions about global agricultural markets, the words China and soybeans have become so attached that there is hardly a space between them. That country dominates world soybean trade as an importer in the same fashion as the U.S. used to do so as an exporter. Although still very important to soybean trade, the U.S. has lost its preeminence to South American soybean exporters with Brazil now in the number one position.According to USDA’s latest estimat...
What You Need to Know Today: A third U.S. border crossing (Columbus, New Mexico) has reopened to Mexican cattle imports following nearly two years of restrictions related to New World screwworm. The reopening could gradually improve feeder cattle availability, although more than 60 confi...
Yesterday, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) released a new report of negotiated cash purchases of cattle under the mandatory price report. The report included Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. The goal of the report was to solve the confidentiality issues e...
Key Takeaways: U.S. soybean crushing began in 1911 and saw its most rapid expansion during the 1930s amid the broader agricultural and technology revolutions of the time. After peaking in the early 2000s, the soybean crushing industry went through a downturn as poor crush margins forced...
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.