Experts in South Africa are saying that the bumper 2017 grain crops will lead to lower prices for dairy products, meat and other grain-dependent items. Because of two previous issues, though, it will take some time for farmers to rebuild their herds, particularly for dairy, beef and pork. Regional Updates MIDDLE EAST/MEDITERRANEAN COMMENTS Jordan has announced that the government will buy locally-produced wheat and barley from farmers at “preferred” rates, which has been the past practice. The prices for both were raised about 10 percent from the 2016 level with the government expected to purchase about 30,000 MT. Local grain production totals approximately 70,000 MT annually, less than 10 percent of the country’s yearly requirements. Wh...
Kiwengwa/Pongwe Forest Reserve Kiwengwa/Pongwe Forest Reserve is located on the northeast coast of Unguja, 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the Town. The reserve is an important biodiversity spot in the coral rag zone. The forest reserve is rich both in faunal and floral species. The faunal species r...
Fabiana is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, native to dry slopes in western South America.[1] They are evergreen shrubs or subshrubs,[1] with needle-like leaves and profuse tiny tubular flowers in summer. The common name is false heath because the leaves superficially resem...
An Ankylosaurus lumbers along the shore of what’s now eastern Montana. Walking low to the ground, the dino uses its flat, leaf-shaped teeth to tear at ferns lining the water. Suddenly, a shadow looms over the herbivore—a Tyrannosaurus rex is hungry. But Ankylosaurus won’t be a...
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...
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.