Chicago/New York | Reuters — Hurricane Irma sent farmers and food companies scrambling to protect processing facilities, farm fields and animal herds in the south and southeastern parts of the U.S. on Wednesday. Florida sugar and citrus processors rushed to secure rail cars and equipment that could be crushed, blocked or turned into flying projectiles. […] Read more
From sugar mills to hog farms, U.S. agriculture braces for Irma
Minnesota finds source of Palmer amaranth on CRP land
Reuters — An invasive weed likely entered Minnesota through seed planted on land in a U.S. conservation program, state agriculture officials said on Thursday, bringing to a close an official probe of a growing threat to agricultural production. Infestations of the weed, Palmer amaranth, have affected other states in the U.S. Midwest through seed planted […] Read more
Palmer amaranth threatening U.S. corn fields
Winterset, Iowa | Reuters — A U.S. government program designed to convert farmland to wildlife habitat has triggered the spread of a fast-growing weed that threatens to strangle crops in America’s rural heartland. The weed is hard to kill and, if left unchecked, destroys as much as 91 per cent of corn on infested land, […] Read more
Oklahoma wildfires kill thousands of pigs
Reuters — Wildfires devastated a Smithfield Foods hog farm in Laverne, Oklahoma, killing at least several thousand pigs, company and local officials said Friday. The exact number of swine killed in the Oklahoma fire, which began on Monday, was not immediately known. Smithfield did not say how many died in the blaze, but said no […] Read more
Minnesota probes Palmer amaranth’s sudden appearance
Chicago | Reuters — Minnesota has launched an investigation to find the source of seed mixes contaminated with weed seeds after the aggressive, herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth weed was found on 30 areas planted in a federal conservation program. The weed grows very fast, reaching up to eight feet in height and can hold back commercial […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn up on strong exports, ethanol demand
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures touched a six-month high on Friday, buoyed by robust demand from exporters and ethanol producers, analysts said. Wheat followed corn higher in largely technical trade while soybeans eased on profit-taking. But all three markets posted weekly gains. Chicago Board of Trade March corn settled up 3-1/2 cents at […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy up for fourth session on Argentina crop concerns
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. soybean futures rose on Wednesday for a fourth straight session, notching a six-month high on worries that recent heavy rains could damage crops in Argentina. Wheat and corn closed lower on a round of profit-taking after multi-month highs. Chicago Board of Trade March soybeans settled up 5-3/4 cents at $10.75 […] Read more
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