Russian Grain Markets: 10 – 14 April 2023 Russia’s grain markets remained unmistakably bearish; even RUB based trading indicators softened in the ports for all grains. While dollar FOB wheat prices remained almost unchanged for wheat, barley and corn quotations softened. The key factors on the market remain the same: currency fluctuations and export duty dynamics. RUB softening slowed down, but export duties firmed up again. Russia is still internally debating the UN grain humanitarian corridor terms and conditions. Politicians are skeptical about Russia’s position of allowing Ukraine to continue agricultural commodity exports without receiving an additional bonus for Russia. What could they get in return? They wer...
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.