DuPont and The Dow Chemical Company have announced that all required regulatory approvals and clearances have been received to close on a merger of the two companies. The merger will close August 31st, and shares of Dow and DuPont will cease trading at the close of the New York Stock Exchange that day. Shares of DowDuPont will begin trading on …
Ports Contract Eases Trade Concerns
A contract agreement between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association has eased trade concerns. The two ratified a three-year extension to the labor contract for workers at 29 ports on the West Coast. Politico reports that the announcement Friday comes as a sigh of relief for U.S. importers and exports. In 2014 and 2015, shippers …
USDA NASS: Cropland Values Stable
An annual report by the Department of Agriculture shows cropland values have remained stable this year. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Land Values 2017 Summary shows a slight increase in average farmland value, but cropland value remained unchanged from the previous year. The United States farm real estate value, a measurement of the value of all land and buildings …
Farm Bill Could Reach House Floor Early 2018
House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway of Texas says he wants to finish the next farm bill this year, with the bill reaching the U.S. House floor for a vote in early 2018. Conaway told a farm bill listening session in California over the weekend that he hopes the farm bill will be on the House floor in the first quarter …
June Results Confirm Strong First Half for U.S. Red Meat Exports
U.S. pork and beef exports continued to trend above year-ago levels in June, capping a very strong first half of the year. According to statistics released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), exports also achieved higher values on a per-head-slaughtered basis and accounted for a steady-to-higher percentage of total production. June beef exports were the …
Ag Secretary Perdue Speaks from “Back to Our Roots” Tour
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue is currently touring rural America on his “Back to Our Roots” RV tour. The goal is to gather public input on how to restore prosperity to rural America as well as get insights on what rural Americans want and need in the new Farm Bill. Perdue says it’s been an interesting experience for him to …
Funding to Encourage SNAP Participants to Purchase Healthy Foods
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced 32 grants totaling $16.8 million to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants increase their purchases of fruits and vegetables. The program is operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The funding comes from the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program, authorized by the 2014 …
Global Food Prices Hit Three-year High
Global food prices reached a three-year high in July, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The FAO Food Price Index in July averaged 179.1 points in July 2017, up 2.3 percent from June and the third successive month of increases. The report says a combination of supply constraints and currency movements provided support to prices of most …
Cargill Purchases Southern States Cooperative Animal Feed Business
Cargill has reached an agreement to acquire the animal feed business of Southern States Cooperative. Withholding terms of the deal, Cargill released a statement last week saying it expects the transaction to close within 90 days. Cargill says the transaction will better serve its customers in the United States and is part of the company’s Feed and Nutrition’s growth strategy. …
Monsanto Addresses Dicamba Issues in Open Letter
In an open letter to customers, Monsanto says the company is committed to supporting farmers at every stage of the growing season. Monsanto, the maker of the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend crop system that includes the dicamba herbicide formulation XtendiMax, responded in the letter to complaints of dicamba drift injury to non-tolerant crops. Monsanto says that many farmers are “experiencing …