Plant Protection Ban Going Backwards Politicians in different countries have called for bans on different plant protection chemicals and especially on the herbicide glyphosate, but use is continuing and even increasing. Sri Lanka banned glyphosate but then had to reinstate its use on its major export crops tea and rubber. France instituted its Echophyto plan in 2008 for reducing plant protection products by 50 percent by 2025 and says it will outlaw most uses of glyphosate by the end of this year. Instead, EUROACTIV reports that utilization continues including a 21 percent increase in use in plant protection chemicals in 2018 alone. The use of glyphosate increased 10 percent in the latest year reported by Paris. In essence, politics and pr...
Accountability and a comprehensive approach to export programming
WPI’s team helped construct a strategic approach to develop, implement, and track promotional activities in 8 key regions across the globe for an agricultural export association. With continued progress measurement and strategic advisory services from WPI, the association has seen its ROI from investments in promotional programming increase by 44 percent over the past 5 years. Not only does this type of holistic approach to organizational strategy provide measurable results to track and analyze, it fosters top-down and bottom-up organizational accountability.
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...
Regional News Dry weather across the UK and Europe is becoming increasingly concerning for the 2027 crops as planting intentions are lowered amid dry soil conditions. Delayed sowing or establishment under adverse conditions could leave crops more vulnerable to frost/freeze events and dise...