Since trade in agriculture and medicine was authorized in 2000, U.S. ag exports to Cuba grew to a high point of $685 million in 2008 before dropping steadily since. A top administration initiative for this week’s presidential visit there is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on sharing ag technology.President Obama is in Cuba this week, the first president to visit that country since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. While he’s there, he’ll take in an exhibition baseball game between Major League Baseball’s (MLB’s)Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team. This is only the second time since 1959 a U.S. professional team has played there. This game and other such exchanges are part of the president’s plan to normalize relations with Cuba. Like ag,...
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
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.