USDA’s annual Agricultural Outlook Forum opened its two-day run this morning. “Growing Locally, Selling Globally” is the 2019 theme. USDA Chief Economist Robert Johansson presented the 2019 projections for grains, oilseeds, planted area and farm income. USDA foresees net farm income for 2018 falling to $66 billion, down 28 percent from the 10-year average with the trade disputes one of the negative factors. Farm debt-to-asset ratio should remain around 13.5 percent, which is well below the levels during the mid-1980s farm crisis, but farm debt is rising. Farmland values and cash rents are surprisingly stable despite the low crop prices and gloomy farm income prospects, but farm bankruptcies are on the rise. U.S. farmers a...
From WPI Consulting
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.