Yesterday we covered the quarterly Hogs and Pigs report from USDA, which showed the U.S. swine herd hasn’t broken out of its down cycle; the September inventory was the third consecutive year of a smaller herd compared to the prior year and the lowest since 2017. The same thing has not been happening in Brazil, however. The Instituto Brasileiro de Geographica e Estatistica (IBGE) quarterly report on meat and livestock was released yesterday showing that through Q2 of 2022, hog slaughter was at a record high of 14.07 million head. Slaughter was 107.2 percent of the same period last year, and 132 percent of 2017. The herd build-up was driven by China’s ASF situation and the global demand for more exports, but production has...
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.
What You Need to Know Today: Crude oil prices extended their rally today, supported by several developments, including escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure and growing concerns about supply disruptions. The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to remove 50 perc...
Key Takeaways: The agricultural trade surplus has become a sizable deficit: the balance swung from a $40.1 billion surplus in 2011 to a $40.7 billion deficit in 2025. Imports kept growing while exports lost momentum: between 2020 and 2025, agricultural imports increased 45 percent, compa...
USDA released its October Cattle on Feed report Friday, showing 11.4 million cattle in feedlots with capacity for 1,000 head or more, slightly below last year. September placements were the lowest for the month since records began in 1996, marking the third consecutive month of placements sett...
Total Red Meat & Poultry September 2026 total red meat and poultry stocks totaled 1.97 billion pounds, down 1.4 percent from August despite typically increasing 0.8 percent during the month, and were 1.5 percent below September 2025 levels. The decline pushed total inventories to a new five...