Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters – The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced a rule that will simplify or waive agency reviews of certain biotech farm products, including plants and seeds that have been genetically modified or engineered. As a result, some products could be sold to farmers without a USDA review — a move that comes despite concerns […] Read more
Tag Archives u.s. department of agriculture
Some GM crops could hit market without review
Traits that could have been achieved through traditional breeding might not require approval
Biofuels expect hard hit with reduced travel
Gasoline consumption decline could mean lower corn prices
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – COVID-19 is expected to bring trouble to the biofuel sector and that is already depressing corn and other grain prices. “Biofuel producers are under desperate strain,” Emily Skor, chief executive officer of Growth Energy said in an email. “This is unlike anything we’ve seen before.” Why it matters: Ethanol has put a […] Read more
Pro Farmer projects smaller U.S. corn, soy crops after excessive rains
However, if predicted yields are realized the crop will be one of the largest on record
Reading Time: 2 minutes Rochester, Minn. | Reuters – Advisory service Pro Farmer, a division of Farm Journal Media, forecast Aug. 23 that the 2019 U.S. corn harvest would drop 7.4 per cent from last year and the soybean crop would plunge 23 per cent after excessive rains stalled planting this spring. Why it matters: If Pro Farmer’s projections […] Read more
Nutrien sees big corn comeback in 2020, following U.S. floods
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters – Fertilizer producer and farm supply dealer Nutrien Ltd expects U.S. farmers to plant as many as 95 million acres (38.5 million hectares) of corn next year, the most in seven years, after a frustrating year of floods, its chief executive said. The wet conditions left millions of acres unplanted across the […] Read more
Tight Ontario crop supplies to keep local demand strong
Low corn stocks and fewer wheat acres with quality concerns should support local prices
Reading Time: 6 minutes Corn and soybean markets continue to digest growing conditions on both sides of the border. Ontario received 40 per cent to 60 per cent of normal precipitation from June 15 through July 14. Crop conditions have improved after a very wet spring, therefore, most producers are projecting average type yields. Our contacts in Ontario believe […] Read more
U.S. hog farmers benefit from diverse markets
They were significantly less affected by declining Chinese market access than soybean or sorghum farmers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters – U.S. hog farmers lost hundreds of millions of dollars in export sales to China and Mexico after President Donald Trump launched his trade wars last year. But the sector has largely offset those massive losses by cobbling together new customers in smaller markets from Colombia to Vietnam, according a Reuters analysis of data […] Read more
U.S. fund managers adjust investment advice in light of extreme weather events
It’s a tricky business modelling how weather will affect farmers’ spending
Reading Time: 3 minutes New York | Reuters – After historic floods devastated Midwestern U.S. agricultural states this spring, some fund managers are evaluating how changes in weather and climate will affect the long-term value of companies that make or sell products ranging from tractors to fertilizer. The issue is not simply the unpredictability of weather. Instead, fund managers […] Read more
Pollen genes mutate naturally in only some strains of corn
Science notes: Breeders have reported some lines are more genetically stable than others
Reading Time: 2 minutes Pollen genes mutate naturally in only some strains of corn, according to Rutgers-led research that may lead to better breeding of corn and other crops. Scientists at Rutgers University–New Brunswick and Montclair State University looked at gene mutations that arise spontaneously in corn plant pollen. Pollen grains are the male gametes, or reproductive cells, in […] Read more
Replacing U.S. imports of organic soybeans unlikely
The rapid growth of U.S. organic livestock production has resulted in massive imports of soymeal
Reading Time: 2 minutes American organic soybean imports, especially as meal, continue to dwarf import of other organic crops. In fact, if American farmers tried to grow that many soybeans to make into meal, it could disrupt the whole organic system, says Ryan Koory, senior analyst with Mercaris, an American organic market intelligence company. Why it matters: Organic production […] Read more
Trump defends tough trade policies to farmers, vows fair deal with China
Speech was short on details as farmers struggle because of the trade war and government shutdown
Reading Time: 2 minutes New Orleans | Reuters – United States President Donald Trump defended his tough trade policies in front of thousands of farmers Jan. 14, a key constituency that has struggled because of his trade war with China. He promised fair trade deals that will put America’s rural heartland back on its feet. “We’ve taken the toughest […] Read more
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