Japan Open to 30-Month-Old Beef Tomorrow Last week we reported that Japan could lift its beef import restrictions on U.S. beef for animals 30 months old by 1 February. In fact, the announcement that this would happen took place Monday, 28 January and will come into effect tomorrow, 1 February. The new rule also applies to Canada. French and Dutch beef, which had been completely banned, now will be allowed, with upper age limits of 30 months and 12 months, respectively. For domestically produced beef, the government will lift the maximum age limit exempt from meat inspections from 20 months to 30 months or younger.This announcement comes as dairy beef slaughter has been unusually high. Though many dairy culls will be older than 30 month...
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: The tariff burden rose sharply in 2025 and 2026: the effective rate on imports in HTS Chapters 1–24 increased from 1.53 percent in 2024 to 6.11 percent in 2025, before averaging 5.68 percent in January–August 2026. Headline rates tell only part of the story: exemptio...
From WPI Consulting
Forecasting developments in production agriculture
On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.