Agriculture News
Brazil's farmers dump sugar for soy as trade war boosts Chinese demand
Reuters | Posted on August 16, 2018Shifting trade flows are redefining the Brazilian landscape, spurring more farmers to align their crops with Chinese appetites. The nation’s soy plantings have expanded by 2 million hectares in two years - an area the size of New Jersey - while land used for cane shrank by nearly 400,000 hectares, according to government data. China’s growing demand for meat has supercharged soy imports for animal feed. The Asian nation paid $20.3 billion last year for 53.8 million tonnes of soybeans from Brazil, nearly half its output — and up from 22.8 million tonnes in 2012.A new 25 percent Chinese tariff on U.S. soybeans - a retaliation for U.S. levies by President Donald Trump - is expected to boost Brazil’s soy exports to an all-time record this year.Brazilian soybean exports to China rose to nearly 36 million tonnes in the first half of 2018, up 6 percent from a year ago. In July, they surged 46 percent from the same month a year earlier to 10.2 million tonnes.
Dairy Farmers Push for Solution To Low Milk Prices
WWNYTV | Posted on August 16, 2018It's been 4 years since dairy farmers could say they earned a living wage. "It's not a good picture out there. There's a lot of desperate people. It's sad when the people that feed us can't feed themselves." said Brien Tabolt, general manager at the Lowville Producers Cheese Store.On Monday, hundreds of farmers from across the country were in Albany to put their heads together.The dairy co-op Agri-Mark organized the summit to get ideas on how to get farmers more money for the milk their cows make.You can find a list of the other ideas here.
Mlive.com
Michigan Live | Posted on August 16, 2018Two cases of rare swine flu have been linked to attendance at the Fowlerville Family Fair in late July.
Longhorned tick makes its way into Md.
CBS Baltimore | Posted on August 16, 2018Ticks native to Maryland commonly feed on deer, but a deer found near Hagerstown was carrying a foreign invader; the Asian longhorned tick, which has made its way from Japan to Australia to the U.S.
AEM’s Latest Ag Equipment Data: Waiting to Exhale
AEM | Posted on August 16, 2018Overall U.S. sales of tractors and combines continued to post strong numbers, led by self-propelled combines and 4-wheel-drive tractors, according to the July 2018 report from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). July U.S. sales of self-propelled combines gained 37 percent compared to last year, with year-to-date growth of nearly 24 percent compared to last-year’s January-July numbers.U.S. sales of 4-wheel-drive tractors jumped 77.5 percent for July compared to July 2017, and grew nearly 13 percent year-to-date over January-July 2017.For July, total U.S. sales of 2-wheel drive tractors grew 12 percent over last year. Sales in the 100-plus HP category led the way with 31-percent growth, followed by gains of 16 percent for under-40 HP tractors, and a dip of 1.5 percent for the 40-100 HP category.
HSUS looking for corporate buy-in
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted on August 16, 2018HSUS recently held its “Taking Action for Animals” Conference here in Arlington, and as always the Alliance had representatives on the scene. Despite HSUS’ efforts to appear moderate and professional, its conference has usually been a good source for quotes and insights that illustrate its true mission to promote veganism and end animal agriculture. When I reviewed the agenda for this year’s event, I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed. The sessions were all billed under very innocuous names with vague descriptions, and most of the speakers were HSUS staffers vs. more openly radical activists. My theory was that the organization was trying to lay low and avoid controversy following all of the negative headlines this year.Apparently I wasn’t the only one who didn’t find the agenda to be particularly intriguing. Our representatives overhead several attendee conversations about how much smaller the audience was than usual, and most participants seemed to be affiliated with HSUS in some way. In some conversations, HSUS’ employee controversies over the past year were mentioned as the most likely reason for the low attendance.
Reports: Oregon has pot oversupply, Colorado hits the mark
Capital Press | Posted on August 16, 2018Two of the first states to broadly legalize marijuana took different approaches to regulation that left Oregon with a vast oversupply and Colorado with a well-balanced market. But in both states prices for bud have plummeted. A new Oregon report by law enforcement found nearly 70 percent of the legal recreational marijuana grown goes unsold, while an unrelated state-commissioned Colorado study found most growers there are planting less than half of their legal allotment — and still meeting demand.The Oregon study released by the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area — a coalition of local, state and federal agencies — includes the medical and general-use markets and the illegal market, despite gaps in data on illicit marijuana grows.The Colorado study focuses on the legal, general-use market, and researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder’s business school and a Denver consulting firm had access to state tracking data to produce the first-of-its-kind analysis.
Animal tests positive for swine flu at Shiawassee County Fair
WNEM | Posted on August 16, 2018An outbreak of a deadly virus is closing down an attraction at a local county fair. Organizers are figuring out how pigs were infected with the swine flu at the Shiawassee County Fair.Closed signs and fencing cloak the Shiawassee Fair's Swine Barn with not even one pig in sight.That's because on Thursday night, Fair Manager Ric Crawford and barn superintendents noticed that a group of pigs started looking sick. Some of them even spiking 105 degree fevers triggering Crawford to call the state veterinarian."She came out that night she did samples on our suspect animals and the next day we did get a call from the state and said one test came back positive for swine influenza," Crawford said.With more than 30 years of experience, Crawford knew he had to act quickly for the safety of both the animals and fair visitors.
Canadian feedlots to benefit from new animal care audit
The Western Producer | Posted on August 16, 2018A standardized animal welfare program for Canadian feedlot operators should result in healthier, more profitable cattle. Better animal care has a spin-off benefit because it improves performance, health and reduces the chronically ill or railers, that is, animals that must go to slaughter before they reach market weight.It is a companion to the national beef code of practice but addresses specific issues in feedlots.Canadian facilities JBS and Cargill Meats, and Tyson’s at Pasco, Washington, are involved with the program as are retailers and some companies like McDonald’s.
Europe foresees record apple crop
Capital Press | Posted on August 16, 2018Europe is projecting it’s largest apple crop which increases competition for Washington apples overseas in the coming year of sales.