An Argentine government proposal would require farmers to pay royalties on patented biotech seed for three years after the initial purchase, but the seed companies claim that is not sufficient time for them to recoup their costs. It now appears, though, that an agreement may be reached. Push to Increase European Soybean Production A major topic of discussion at the 4th Congress of the Danube Soya Association, recently held in Budapest, Hungary, was the desire to increase soybean production in Europe. The group has 240 members from across the Continent and is striving to expand the production of non-GM soybeans that are source-identified. Its goal is to supply half of European soybean demand with local production by 2025. Europe currently...
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.