Although USDA’s Cattle on Feed report was in line with expectations, the quarterly Hogs and Pigs report was not.WPI’s last Livestock Roundup (see Ag Perspectives, 22 December) previewed the next day’s release of USDA’s monthly Cattle on Feed and quarterly Hogs and Pigs reports. The Cattle on Feed report was in line with expectations. Pre-report estimates pegged total inventory on feed on 1 December at 98.5 percent of last year, and the actual came in at 99 percent. Market attention would normally focus on the “Feeder Cattle Supplies Outside Feedlots” table in order to determine the size of the herd on pasture and wheat that is ready to move onto feedlots. In March, however, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) suspended th...
The magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata) is the sole living representative species of the family Anseranatidae. This waterbird is found in northern Australia and southern New Guinea.[2] The species is not truly migratory but it sometimes travels large distances to find food and water, especiall...
The common ostrich (Struthio camelus), or simply ostrich, is a species of flightless bird native to certain areas of Africa (and historically, Arabia) and is the largest living species of bird. The common ostrich is one of two extant species of ostriches, the only living members of the genus St...
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A pika (/ˈpaɪkə, ˈpiːkə/ PY-kə, PEE-kə[3][4]) is a small, mountain-dwelling mammal native to Asia and North America. With short limbs, a very round body, an even coat of fur, and no external tail, they resemble their close relative the rabbit, but with short, rounded ears.[5] The large-eared pi...
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.