In this new monthly recurring feature, Rabobank Senior Grains & Oilseeds Analysts Steve Nicholson and Sam Funk talk about the topics they’re tracking in grains and oilseeds. This month, it’s eight quick hits and one in-depth topic: ag policy.

In response to the Trump administration’s tariffs on steel and aluminum, the Mexican government has imposed 10% to 15% tariffs of its own, targeting the U.S. cheese industry, among other sectors. Tom Bailey, Senior Analyst and Executive Director of Dairy at Rabobank, tells us what this means for producers and consumers on both sides of the border.

The potential for an explosive upside move for U.S. wheat prices is high due to record-low hard red winter wheat acres, combined with U.S. Great Plains drought and late spring HRS planting. Senior Grains & Oilseeds Analyst Steve Nicholson talks with Bill Nickrent about the outlook for wheat.

Where do you see the coffee industry in ten years? On this week’s Liquid Assets, the team tackles some difficult questions.

• Could bean-to-cup machines overtake pods and capsules in the next decade?
• Where does unbranded coffee belong in a world of branded beverages?
• NEWS UPDATE: Nestle and Starbucks reach a USD 7bn deal. What does this mean for the industry?

This episode features: Stephen Rannekleiv, Global Strategist for Beverages; Jim Watson, Senior Beverage Analyst; and Bourcard Nesin, Beverage Analyst and special guest Ross Colbert, Global Sector Head - Beverages

This episode was originally released on our new Global Beverages podcast channel Liquid Assets. Subscribe to stay up to date on all the latest developments in the Beverages industry.

Senior Protein Analyst Don Close talks to Bill Nickrent about what he saw on a recent trip to catch up on the beef industry in Australia and how drought conditions and low milk prices are causing stress in the U.S.

They’ve been around for nearly 3,000 years, but dairy alternatives like soy milk and oat milk have only recently been taking market share from conventional dairy. Our senior analyst Tom Bailey tells us how the dairy industry is reacting to its new competition.

Roland Fumasi, Senior Fruit, Vegetables and Tree Nuts Analyst in the US, and Hayden Higgins, Senior Horticulture Analyst in Australia, discuss the Australian and US Almond sectors: What’s been happening over 2017 and 2018 for Almond crop volumes and exports, the impact of the big freeze in California on Almond supply, changing land use in California and expansion of Almond plantings in both Australia and California, the US and China Trade Dispute and what all this means for the industry.

Rabobank’s Global Dairy Strategist, Mary Ledman, looks back at dairy production in 2017, and explores the implications of price support in the European Union and the impact of NAFTA negotiations on US dairy’s market share in Mexico.

Sterling Liddell and Bill Nickrent discuss the risks for the corn market related to declining stocks and remarkably low planted acres planned for 2018.

RaboResearch Analyst Xinnan Li discusses her recent research on food packaging and why she believes that stand-up pouches (think Capri-sun) are poised to gain market share over traditional rigid packaging.