Tanzania reports that its first official GM maize field trials, which involve a white drought-resistant variety, began last week and are expected to take about three years for completion and analysis. However, the field trials in Kenya are now headed in a different direction. Regional Updates MIDDLE EAST/MIDDLE EAST COMMENTS The most recent USDA-FAS report on grains in Egypt doesn’t show any major changes for wheat and corn production, usage or imports. For wheat, local production is steady at about 8.1 MMT with imports set at 11.8 MMT, down 275,000 MT from last year. Meanwhile, total wheat consumption is up about 400,000 MT at 19.6 MMT. There are no imports of U.S. wheat and corn forecast for 2016/17, although current U.S. export prices...
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.
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...