Feb 6 (Reuters) – Confirmed cases of a deadly pig virus spreading across the U.S. farm belt increased by 265 last week, the biggest weekly increase since it was discovered in the United States in April 2013, according to the USDA’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network. Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv), which causes diarrhea, vomiting […] Read more
Stories by Reuters News Service
U.S. oat price soars to an all-time high on Canadian rail woes
CHICAGO, Feb 6 (Reuters) – The U.S. oat market soared to an all-time high on Thursday, ignited by a razor-thin supply of oats moving into the United States from top exporter Canada in the wake of logistical nightmares. Chicago Board of Trade oat futures rose the 20-cent daily trading limit – notching a record high […] Read more
US soy climbs on exports, corn flat; oats hit record high
CHICAGO, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures rose for a sixth straight session on Thursday, setting a six-week high on strong export demand for U.S. soybeans and soymeal, traders said. Thinly traded CBOT oats surged, with the March contract soaring its daily 20-cent limit to $4.63-1/4 per bushel, the highest-ever spot […] Read more
German 2013 bioethanol production up 9.6 percent
HAMBURG, Feb 6 (Reuters) – German 2013 bioethanol production rose 9.6 percent to 672,000 tonnes from the previous year as low prices attracted buyers, German bioethanol industry association BDBE said on Thursday. BDBE Chief Executive Dietrich Klein said Germany’s bioethanol is competitive, noting sales of gasoline with a higher 10 percent bioethanol content also rose. […] Read more
African states seek new farmland deals without problems of past
ABU DHABI, Feb 6 (Reuters) – African countries that missed out on Gulf cash pouring into agricultural projects elsewhere on the continent are trying to entice Arab investors with deals they say are designed to avoid problems of the past. An earlier wave of foreign investment in African farmland aroused domestic hostility or even unrest […] Read more
EU ready to lift duties on most U.S. goods to reach trade pact
BRUSSELS, Feb 6 (Reuters) – The European Union will offer to lift tariffs on nearly all goods imported from the United States as part of negotiations towards the world’s largest free-trade deal, people familiar with the proposal have told Reuters. The offer will be made on Monday, a week ahead of face-to-face talks between EU […] Read more
Canada plans back-to-work legislation for possible CN strike
OTTAWA, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Canadian Labour Minister Kellie Leitch said on Wednesday the Conservative government plans to introduce back-to-work legislation to deal with a potential strike at Canadian National Railway Co, the country’s No. 1 rail operator. “Today, our Conservative government is taking action to protect Canada’s economy and Canadian grain farmers by indicating […] Read more
U.S. launches ‘climate hubs’ to help farmers face climate change
WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s administration announced the formation on Wednesday of seven “climate hubs” help farmers and rural communities adapt to extreme weather conditions and other effects of climate change. The hubs will act as information centers and aim to help farmers and ranchers handle risks, including fires, pests, floods and […] Read more
Conductors’ union puts Canada’s CN Rail on strike notice – Updated
TORONTO, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Canadian National Railway Co said on Wednesday the union representing 3,000 of its workers gave notice it intends to strike as early as Saturday, threatening one of the country’s most important transport networks. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference said that CN, the country’s largest rail operator, told the union early […] Read more
Drought forces California farmers to idle cropland
LOS ANGELES, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Drought-stricken California farmers facing drastic cutbacks in irrigation water are expected to idle some 500,000 acres of cropland this year in a record production loss that could cause billions of dollars in economic damage, industry officials said. Large-scale crop losses in California, the No. 1 U.S. farm state producing […] Read more
