Parts of Brazil Soybean Area in Need of Rain Most the soybean growing areas of Brazil are apparently in good condition with adequate rainfall. However, in two areas – Northeast Brazil and Rio Grande do Sul - soybeans are suffering from dryness and need rainfall. In northeastern Brazil (Maranhao, Piaui, Tocantins and Bahia) the monsoon rains have started later than normal and rainfall has been spotty and light. Unless the rains pickup very soon it is likely some of the planned soybeans will not get planted. Apparently, some farmers will plant more drought-hardy grain sorghum or nothing at all as it is getting close to being to late to plant. In Rio Grande do Sul some areas have not received significant rainfall in a mont...
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.
Key Market Insights The broad market is locked in on this week’s Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, but this is no longer just a trade summit. Increasingly, the meeting is becoming tied directly to Iran, energy security, and the growing global economic fallout from disruptions through the Strai...