A Roadmap to Better Decision Making

Over the next five years, Indian households are predicted to become the biggest spenders among the G20 countries, a group composed of most of the world’s largest economies. Already, India has the largest population of any country in the world at an estimated 1.4 billion in 2023. According to the United Nations, that equates to roughly 18% of the total ...
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China started this year by unveiling big plans to boost its agricultural production and minimize imports. However, Mother Nature seems intent on derailing those plans, at least for this growing season, with China’s farmers battling drought and scorching heat in the northern half of the country and extreme flooding in the south.High temperatures and lack of rainfall have caused intense ...
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We have reached that time of year when it’s important to be scouting soybean fields for an array of yield-sapping pests and diseases. Catching problems early gives crops the best chance of minimizing yield loss, something that has become even more important amid razor-thin margins for many farmers. Just as important to identifying trouble in the field is understanding the ...
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A few years ago, Americans were warned about “Asian Giant Hornets” - aka “murder hornets” - that were spotted in Washington state. While that menace seems to be under control for now, a new Asian hornet species known for its penchant for murdering honeybees has snuck into the US. The “Yellow-Legged hornet” feeds on a variety of other native pollinator ...
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Russia has declared a series of federal emergencies recently amid crop-damaging frosts and drought that are denting the country’s wheat prospects. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its most recent June update trimmed Russia’s 2024-25 wheat production by -5 million metric tons (MMT) to 83 MMT. Other forecasters are even less optimistic, including local analyst Sovecon that pegs the ...
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The effects of heat on the body are well known: over-heating strains the heart and kidneys, causes headaches, disrupts sleep, and slows cognition. In extreme cases, heat stroke can lead to multi-organ failure and even death! Heat stroke occurs when the body reaches an internal temperature of 104 degrees and above. By this point, blood pressure has often dropped too ...
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Oklahoma City is the place to be this weekend if you are an auctioneer, or just a fan. The 2024 LMA Convention, hosted by the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), takes place from June 12th to 15th. The convention culminates on Saturday with what is no doubt the main attraction - the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC), which is celebrating its ...
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This was sent my way the other day and I thought it was a great idea. CK6 Consulting recently approached Texas Beefhouse with a concept of taking beef to a live public auction. The DuVall family at Capitol Angus was fearless and willing to take on the challenge. The CK6 team works in price discovery every day in the Angus ...
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Bakers out there have likely noticed that the price of real vanilla has skyrocketed the last few years amid a global shortage. The flavoring is essential for many baked goods and can be at least partially blamed for high prices at the grocery store. Santa Barbara based startup Spero Renewables has figured out a way to make a vanilla flavoring ...
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Agribusiness is an industry that readers of the Van Trump Report know. Conceivably it’s one where we have a competitive edge. During the next 12 months, several large interdependent events, including the U.S. November elections, the Ukrainian war, Israeli war, oil prices, China/U.S. tensions, inflation, etc., stand to sway stock markets. The second report in this series delved into the ...
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