A consumer traffic analysis says nearly a quarter of Whole Foods new customers are coming from Wal-Mart. Specifically, 24 percent of the new customers streaming to Whole Foods following the Amazon purchase of the grocery chain was Wal-Mart shoppers, while 16 percent are from Kroger and 15 percent from Costco. Meat industry publication Meatingplace reports the increase in customers came …
South Canada Livestock Producers Could See Winter Hay Shortage
Some cattle producers in Canada could face a hay shortage this winter. Saskatchewan ranchers looking for local feed this winter might have a difficult time, but other provinces saw near-record hay production. Commodity News Service Canada reports localized shortages will prompt producers to find other sources. However, how soon depends on how much hay they have stockpiled. Also, lower-quality grain …
Mann Packing Removing Non-GMO Label
Mann Packing will remove the “non-GMO” label term from select products because the company says it “doesn’t want to perpetuate a fear that something is wrong with GMOs.” PRWeek reported the company is turning an about-face, after getting some products verified under the Non-GMO Project. The company is removing the non-GMO verified check from its single-cut lettuce products in its …
Food Price Index Increases
Global food prices made a mild move upward last month, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The monthly FAO Food Price Index averaged 178.4 points in September 2017, up 1.4 points from August and 7.4 points above September 2016. Firmer prices in the vegetable oil and dairy sectors were behind the small month-on-month rise. The …
NAFTA Not Moving Quick Enough
House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway echoed comments made last week by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, saying the negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement are not moving fast enough. Conaway stated: “Perdue hit the nail on the head when he said we need to stop circling the ring in NAFTA negotiations and begin laying out concrete agriculture proposals.” He …
Exports are Critically Important to the Pork Industry
Exports are critically important to the swine industry. With large hog supplies, National Pork Board CEO Bill Even believes the significance of foreign demand will only grow. U.S. pork is known for its quality. Even as part of a National Pork Board trade mission to Japan and China. These markets are very different. The Japanese market is a …
Elevating Efficiency Is 2018 Beltwide Cotton Conferences’ Goal
The 2018 Beltwide Cotton Conferences (BWCC), set for January 3-5 at the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas, will provide insight on current research and emerging technology – to help attendees improve production, processing and marketing efficiency. The BWCC, coordinated by the National Cotton Council (NCC), annually brings together university and USDA researchers, Extension personnel/agents, consultants, and industry sales/support personnel. …
Brazil Almost Out of Soybeans for Exporting
As is usually the case, Brazil produced a large soybean crop this year. The country has been exporting a lot of soybeans but has reached the point at which they don’t have many soybeans left to ship. A new report says that Brazil hit a new soybean export record in September when they shipped 4.3 million tons. A spokeswoman from …
Farm Bill Opposition Groups Discuss Strategy
Agri-Pulse is reporting that groups covering all points on the political spectrum are getting together to discuss ways to attack the upcoming Farm Bill when the development process begins in Congress. Roughly two-dozen different groups sent representatives to Washington this week to hear a presentation from an economist and then discuss different messages they can take to Congress regarding changes …
American Dairy Industry Wants True Free-Trade with Canada
The fourth round of negotiations to redo the North American Free Trade Agreement take place next week in Washington. Jim Mulhern, CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation, says negotiators are planning to put forth proposals on dairy policy and other market access issues U.S. farmers have getting their product into Canada. Milk Business Dot Com says the Milk Producers …