The Outsized Burden Cuba is a small island country that imposes an outsized burden on U.S. politics, but this is declining. Historically, there were two problems with Cuba in the U.S.: 1) Fidel Castro’s nationalization of American-owned assets in 1959, and 2) Cuban-American exiles in Florida who influenced presidential and congressional politics. The second problem has largely receded as evidenced by some relaxations under President Obama and, more recently, a farm bill provision allowing agricultural cooperator marketing on the island (though it is a less valuable market than many U.S. farm organizations believe it to be). President Trump is now taking a hard-line approach on the first problem by enforcing a 1996 law that allows Am...
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: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured reelection on Sunday, defeating right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro despite trailing in the first round of voting. The surprise victory triggered a sharp selloff in Brazilian financial market...
The 2026 midterm elections are a week from tomorrow, but early voting has been taking place for weeks. At stake is control of Congress, including the House of Representatives, where all 435 seats are contested, and the Senate, where approximately one-third of the seats are up for election. Farm...
Key Takeaways: Total U.S. crop acres (excluding hay) are forecast to expand fractionally this year due to greater oilseed crop and winter wheat plantings. One of the key drivers of this year’s crop outlook is input costs, and crops with a lower cost profile have an advantage in producers...