Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Friday an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), in an older beef cow at a slaughter plant in South Carolina. USDA said the animal never entered slaughter channels and the agency did not expect any trade impacts as a result. It was […] Read more
U.S. reports case of atypical BSE
U.S. Supreme Court upholds California’s pig confinement law
Dissent suggests 'substantial burden against interstate commerce'
Reuters — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday preserved a California law banning the sale of pork in America’s most-populous state from pigs kept in tightly confined spaces, rejecting an industry challenge claiming that the voter-backed animal welfare measure impermissibly regulates out-of-state farmers. The justices voted 5-4 to uphold a lower court’s dismissal of a […] Read more
Beekeepers call to reopen cross-border package bee trade
Ten years after the last risk assessment, some say it’s time to re-evaluate
Canadian beekeepers are calling for the federal government to reopen the border to the importation of U.S. package honeybees. Witnesses at a meeting of the House of Commons standing committee on agriculture and agri-food last Wednesday presented recommendations for what the government could do to resolve issues of honeybee health decline and bee mortality. The […] Read more
U.S. forecaster sees 62 per cent chance of El Nino developing during May-July
Argentina, parts of U.S. could benefit; Asian crops may not
Reuters — A U.S. weather forecaster on Thursday predicted a 62 per cent chance of the El Niño phenomenon developing in the Northern Hemisphere during May-July, and a strong chance toward end-year, likely compounding risks to crops across the globe. “The coastal warming in the eastern Pacific may foreshadow changes across the Pacific basin. Therefore, […] Read more
USDA stands pat on U.S. soybean, corn ending stocks
Soy, corn crop projections cut for Argentina
MarketsFarm — Projected ending stocks for soybeans and corn in the United States for the current marketing year were left unchanged by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in its latest monthly supply/demand report (WASDE) — coming as a surprise to market participants who had generally anticipated downward revisions to the carryout numbers. USDA left 2022-23 […] Read more
After growing GM corn for decades, some U.S. farmers open to Mexican restrictions
Biden administration seeks to challenge ban
Chicago | Reuters — Mexico has found unexpected allies as it tries to limit imports of genetically modified (GM) corn: some U.S. farmers who grow the crops. Farmers have for decades planted GM corn, which protects against insects and herbicides, with seeds sold by companies such as Bayer, Corteva and ChemChina’s Syngenta. But as believers […] Read more
U.S. ag businesses want Biden to allow more investment in Cuba
Canadian investment 'significant' in Cuban business
Havana | Reuters — U.S. agribusinesses, on a trade tour in Cuba, said on Tuesday they were “losing” in their bid to boost commerce with Cuban farmers and called on the Biden administration to ease restrictions and allow them to invest in private agriculture on the island. U.S. President Joe Biden last May loosened restrictions […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: World chickpea supplies expected tight over next six months
MarketsFarm — Chickpeas are expected to be in short supply around the world over the next six months, according to a release from the Global Pulse Confederation (GPC). Hot and dry weather in India cut production prospects for that country’s kabuli chickpea crop, according to the report. Production out of Mexico also failed to meet […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: More acres expected for U.S. corn, soybeans, wheat
USDA acreage projections due out March 31
MarketsFarm — With expectations of far fewer prevent-planting acres for 2023-24, Terry Reilly of Futures International has called for increases in planted area for corn, soybeans and wheat in the U.S. this spring. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is scheduled to release its planting projections on March 31. Reilly pegged planted corn acres at […] Read more
U.S. pushes back against Russian demands linked to Ukraine grain deal
Russian food, fertilizer already carved out from sanctions, U.S. says
United Nations | Reuters — The United States pushed back on Russian demands that Western sanctions be eased before it allows Ukrainian Black Sea grain exports beyond mid-May, saying there were no restrictions on Russian agricultural products or fertilizer. Moscow’s demands include allowing the Russian Agricultural Bank to return to the SWIFT banking system and […] Read more
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