Reading Time: 5 minutes A kamikaze drone flew over our house last night. It fell near our fence and exploded. I looked out the window and saw a red flame. Then I opened my eyes and realized it was a nightmare. In the morning, I called my mother. She said she heard a drone over our town at 3 […] Read more
Ukraine: The second summer of war
As harvest begins, farmers wonder if they should bother
EU ag commissioner pushes for extension of Ukraine grain import ban
Restrictions due to expire Friday
Brussels/Bucharest | Reuters — The EU agriculture commissioner said on Tuesday said he believes the European Commission should extend a temporary ban on Ukraine imports into five neighouring EU states, as the measure helped boost exports outside the bloc. Ukraine has become entirely dependent on alternative European Union routes, called Solidarity Lanes, for its grain […] Read more
Russian Agricultural Bank could have SWIFT access within 30 days, U.N. tells Moscow
Russia seeking 'actual exemptions' from sanctions
Reuters — A Russian Agricultural Bank subsidiary in Luxembourg could immediately apply to SWIFT to “effectively enable access” for the bank to the international payments system within 30 days, the United Nations told Russia in a letter, seen by Reuters on Friday. “SWIFT has confirmed that RSHB Capital S.A. would be eligible to apply for […] Read more
UN working on guarantees for Russia to restore grain deal, Moscow skeptical
Bombing of Ukraine ports, grain facilities erodes other partners' goodwill, Guterres says
Reuters — The United Nations is “actively engaged” in trying to improve Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports in a bid to convince Moscow to again allow the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday. “We believe that it’s necessary to create a system of mutual guarantee,” Guterres told reporters on […] Read more
Turkey’s Erdogan says Black Sea grain deal can be restored soon
UN seeks to bring Russia back into deal
Moscow | Reuters — Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said after talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Monday that it would soon be possible to revive the grain deal that the United Nations says helped to ease a food crisis by getting Ukrainian grain to market. Russia quit the deal in July — a year after […] Read more
Opinion: War is expensive both on and off the battlefield
Big financial costs, big human costs, but also big agribusiness profits
Reading Time: 2 minutes Union general William T. Sherman once famously said, “War is hell.” However you describe it, war is expensive. For some, it’s extremely profitable, too. Shooting wars aren’t the only type of warfare that are costly, deadly and often without a winner. In January 2022, the International Monetary Fund estimated the total cost of the COVID-19 […] Read more
Russia says will have talks with Turkey about alternative to Black Sea deal
Plan calls for Qatar's support to move Russian grain
Reuters — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan will discuss a proposal by Moscow for an alternative to the Black Sea grain deal when they meet this week, Lavrov’s ministry said Wednesday. Under the plan, Russia would send a million tons of grain to Turkey at a discounted price, with financial […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans dip after data shows crop less damaged than feared
Ukrainian farmers not expected to cut winter wheat area
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean and corn prices retreated on Tuesday following U.S. government data showing a smaller-than-expected decline in crop conditions than what many analysts had expected. Wheat hit a two-week low as sluggish demand for U.S. supplies and competition from cheap Russian grain limited the upside in prices. The most active soybean […] Read more
Weather woes, Russia upend outlook for global wheat suppliers
Stockpile levels expected to reach at least a 16-year low in 2023-24
Reading Time: 4 minutes Drought is expected to send global wheat stockpiles for major exporters to the lowest levels in more than a decade, a Reuters analysis shows. The decline is coming as top supplier Russia intensifies its conflict with Ukraine and creates more uncertainty for importers. Farms in areas of North and South America, Europe and Australia are […] Read more
Ukraine asks Lebanon to bar Syrian ship carrying ‘stolen’ corn
Corn taken from multiple storage units, Ukraine alleges
Beirut | Reuters — Ukrainian officials on Thursday asked Lebanon to bar a Syrian state-owned cargo ship carrying allegedly stolen Ukrainian grain from docking in Lebanon’s Tripoli port, according to the Ukrainian embassy and a diplomatic note seen by Reuters. The Ukrainian mission said in comments to Reuters that the Finikia was transporting 6,000 metric […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
