Increased Corn Area; Prices Stable but High The 2017/18 rabi (summer crop) corn area, which will be harvested in March-April 2018, totaled 1.5739 million hectares as of 19 January. While that is marginally higher than the 1.535 million hectares of a year ago, it is slightly lower than the seaon’s normal 1.5797 million hectares. The area was reduced in the states of Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra, but it was increased in Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The 2016/17 rabi corn crop in Maharastra was sown on 0.2691 million hectares, but that dropped to 0.1902 million hectares this year as farmers shifted to chickpeas. The overall crop condition is viewed as very good in...
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.