Agriculture

Vladimir Mishurov transformed the remnants of the “Lenin’s Path” collective farm in this village into a profitable business. He also helped make Russia the world’s largest wheat exporter for the first time since the last years of the czars. Over the past decade or so, Mr. Mishurov replaced his aging Russian equipment with a dozen high-tech machines from John Deere and other makers, and started using powerful new fertilizers and seeds. [node:read-more:link]

A report from the North Carolina Pork Council (NCPC) on Saturday updated the public on how well pig farmers in the state planned and prepared for the predicted devastation from Hurricane Florence. Despite numerous reports to the contrary, the pork industry in the state made sure animals were safe from the storm and that environmental precautions minimized potential lagoon breaches.“Farmers have activated back-up power generation due to significant power outages,” he said. “On-farm reports indicate sporadic and minor wind damage to structures.  [node:read-more:link]

Many recent food innovations appeal purely to novelty, but these six show actual promise for the future of food. If you’re familiar with blockchain technology, you’re probably thinking, “but what does Bitcoin have to do with my dinner?” While most commonly associated with the enigmatic cryptocurrency Bitcoin, its first major application, blockchain is a much wider type of technology that be utilized in the medical industry, in elections, and in keeping tabs on our food. [node:read-more:link]

The Office of Management and Budget has received USDA’s final rule for the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, according to the National Law Review. The bill mandating establishment of the standard was passed by Congress in summer 2016. [node:read-more:link]

Repayment capacity measures include the capital debt repayment capacity, capital debt repayment margin, replacement margin, term debt and capital lease coverage ratio, and replacement coverage ratio (Farm Financial Standards Council).  Capital debt repayment capacity, capital debt repayment margin, and the term debt and capital lease coverage ratio address a farm’s ability to repay operating loans and to cover the current portion of principal and interest due on noncurrent loans such as a machinery, building, or land loan.  The replacement margin and the replacement margin coverage ratio en [node:read-more:link]

Forecasts for heavy rain in the Upper Midwest for the final days of the official 2018 summer season have been verified -- and the result is not favorable for harvest. From eastern South Dakota to across northern Iowa, southern Minnesota and into southern Wisconsin, rainfall of 2 to 5 inches has flooded fields, delayed harvest and leads to potential for crop loss. About 10% of total U.S. corn and soybean production is in the area hit by the storms. [node:read-more:link]

The Arizona LGMA (Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement) is entering its upcoming growing season with improved food safety practices in light of the E. coli outbreak earlier this year associated with romaine.  The updated Food Safety Metrics include: more rigorous risk assessments to address intense weather conditions; additional measures for the production of leafy greens near concentrated animal feeding operations; more prescriptive requirements for the cleaning and sanitizing of harvest equipment;, and stronger traceback requirements. [node:read-more:link]

With farm income having dropped and continuing to decline, there is beginning to be more attention paid to the level of debt in the U.S. farm sector.  This week we will examine some of the broad trends in debt use. Today, the total indebtedness stands at $407 billion.  Total debt has grown steadily, increasing by 46% since 2010 (an annual compound growth of 5% per year).  The total interest cost on this debt is forecast to be $21.9 billion dollars for 2018. [node:read-more:link]

China imposes retaliatory tariffs on pistachios, almonds and wine, while Canada is taxing ketchup. [node:read-more:link]

Agriculture is one of the biggest, most powerful industries in North Carolina. But its corporate and political backers just lost the first round of a legal battle with the industry’s lowest-paid workers. Last year the N.C. General Assembly passed a law that, in part, made it illegal for farms and unions to negotiate settlements involving union contracts. It also made it illegal for farm workers to directly transfer parts of their paycheck to the union as dues. [node:read-more:link]