COVID Relief: Today was the target deadline for the next COVID relief package; that is not going to happen. Neither the Senate or House was in session today but are subject to a one-day recall back for a vote if necessary. Negotiations continue but progress is not being made. The hang-ups are the big picture items – unemployment benefit extensions, aid to states, etc. The ag provisions will be much easier to pull together once a framework is agreed to. Add sheep and lamb producers to the list of expanded payments. The Mountain States Rosen plant in Greely, which had filed for bankruptcy, was purchased by JBS, which will convert the plant to a beef processing (not slaughter) facility. That leaves the lamb market short a pl...
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.
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...