Ukraine has become an important supplier of corn over the past decade, increasing its exports by 155 percent. However, its share of the global market has only risen from 13.3 percent to 15.8 percent because over that same period, global trade in corn rose by more than 114 percent. The area harvested for corn in Ukraine has increased 24 percent, but its advancement in yield has been below potential. Over the past decade, the Ukrainian corn yield increased by 1.25 MT/ha whereas the U.S. yield grew by 1.71 MT/ha. This is true even though U.S. yields are already a third greater and should be subject to a diminishing return on productivity gains. The recent change in law ending a 20-year ban on private farm land sales may lead to improved...
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...
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...
From WPI Consulting
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.