File photo of Upside Foods’ chicken product. (Upsidefoods.com)

Lab-grown meat cleared for human consumption by U.S. regulator

FDA's review not technically approval

Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first time cleared a meat product grown from animal cells for human consumption, the agency announced on Wednesday. Upside Foods, a company that makes cell-cultured chicken by harvesting cells from live animals and using the cells to grow meat in stainless-steel tanks, […] Read more

File photo of a CN locomotive in Chicago. (Photo courtesy CN)

Third U.S. union rejects national rail contract deal

Two major unions' decisions due next week

Washington | Reuters — A third U.S. rail union voted on Monday to reject a tentative national contract reached in September, but expects to continue negotiating to reach a deal. The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB), which represents about 300 U.S. rail employees, rejected the agreement, said the union and the National Carriers’ Conference Committee […] Read more

Mycotoxins, such as vomitoxin, are produced primarily by Gibberella ear moulds (seen here) and can be disruptive when fed to livestock, especially hogs.  Photo: OMAFRA

U.S. corn farmers wary of vomitoxin, latest stress on global grain supplies

Chicago | Reuters – A fungus that causes “vomitoxin” has been found in some U.S. corn harvested this fall, causing headaches for growers and livestock producers and forcing ethanol plants and grain elevators to scrutinize grain deliveries. The situation is another hit to global grain supplies that have sunk to the lowest in a decade since Russia […] Read more

The 2022 outbreak of avian influenza has so far resulted in the culling or death of 47 million birds in the U.S. and 50 million in Europe.

U.S. nears record poultry deaths from avian influenza

Virus type is a complicating factor in its control

Reuters – A near-record number of U.S. chickens and turkeys have died in this year’s outbreak of avian influenza, as a different form of the virus than farmers battled before has infected more wild birds that then transmit the disease, officials said. More than 47 million birds have died due to infections and culling. This has spurred export bans, lowered egg and turkey production, and contributed […] Read more

Commercial vessels including vessels which are part of Black Sea grain deal wait to pass the Bosphorus strait off the shores of Yenikapi during a misty morning in Istanbul, Turkey, October 31, 2022.  Photo: Reuters/Umit Bektas

U.N.’s Black Sea grain deal continues without Russia

London | Reuters – Grain was flowing out of Ukraine at a record pace on Monday under an initiative led by the United Nations aimed at easing global food shortages despite Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the scheme. Russia said on Saturday it was pulling out of the deal, which ensured safe passage […] Read more



Total red meat exports in 2022 for the United States are forecast at $20 billion.

U.S. sees beef, pork export boom

Exports are forecasted at $20 billion, despite COVID restrictions in Asia

Glacier FarmMedia – America’s red meat exports are booming, says an industry official. The United States shipped a record US$18.7 billion worth of pork and beef products around the world in 2021 and is on pace to exceed that total this year. Beef exports have topped $1 billion in six of the seven months that […] Read more



Gary Millershaski inspects winter wheat stunted by drought near Syracuse, Kansas, in May during the Wheat Quality Council’s Kansas wheat tour. Conditions for planting the new crop this fall are also expected to remain dry.

Conditions grim for U.S. winter wheat planting

La Nina is expected to stick around for a rare third year, likely resulting in another dry fall for southern plains farmers

Glacier FarmMedia – Conditions are ripe for another poor start for the U.S. hard red winter wheat crop, but there could be a massive Brazilian soybean harvest next year, say analysts. La Nina is hanging around, and that likely means a third consecutive dry fall in the southern U.S. Plains. Weather models from the U.S. […] Read more