Despite record low U.S. pork belly inventories, analysts say a bacon shortage is not likely. In early February, the Ohio Pork Council fueled alarms by publicizing that pork belly stocks were at their lowest levels in half a century. While the group added there was not an actual bacon shortage, several media outlets published reports suggesting otherwise.
USDA Increases Fiscal Year 2017 Specialty Sugar TRQ
The Department of Agriculture Friday announced an increase in the fiscal year 2017 specialty sugar tariff-rate quota, or TRQ.
NFU: Trump Building Positive Record on Renewable Fuels
Stressing the need for certainty around the administration’s support for the renewable fuels industry, the National Farmers Union recognized the Donald Trump Administration’s growing positive record in support of renewable fuels.
AFBF President Addresses USDA Ag Outlook Forum
“This could be the best of times…and possibly the worst of times in agriculture,” according to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall, who spoke last week at the Department of Agriculture’s Ag Outlook Forum.
Sonny Perdue is Waiting for Confirmation
During a farm bill field hearing last week, Kansas Republican Senator Pat Roberts said Sonny Perdue is just waiting. The Senate Agriculture Committee chairman says his committee has not received the required paperwork from the White House yet to schedule a confirmation hearing for Perdue.
Some Brazil Soybeans Very Muddy
Brazil’s top soybean producing state, Mato Grosso (Mah’-toe Grah’-soh), has soybean fields ready for harvest but are so muddy it’s difficult to walk through, let alone drive a combine through. A Bloomberg report says a week of persistent rainfall has caused some soybeans to begin fermenting. The beans have become engorged their pods, which have started to open as the …
Effective Dairy Safety Net Requires Federal Spending
The first 2018 Farm Bill development meeting took place this week. Legislators have been encouraging the nation’s producers to speak up about what worked in the last Farm Bill and what didn’t.
Dow / DuPont Deal on Track in E.U.; Chem China / Syngenta Extended
A Dow Jones report says the Dow and DuPont merger deal looks good for regulatory approval from European Union regulators. People familiar with the deal tell Dow Jones that the deal looks to be on track because the companies offered to sell some of their businesses to ease antitrust concerns.
Largest Ag Producers Changing Crop Protection Plans
A new study from Millenium Research shows that the nation’s largest farmers are still uncommitted or making changes to their crop protection plans. The “Farmer Speaks” study shows producers being more aggressive in cutting costs after a tough year in 2016.
$1 Trillion Free-Trade Agreement Now In Force
Despite strong anti-trade comments from President Trump, a $1 trillion free trade agreement went into effect on Wednesday of this week, called the Trade Facilitation Agreement. A CNN Money report says the agreement is designed to cut through red tape and help solve problems like border delays and transportation bottlenecks. The World Trade Organization says it will cut a day …