LONDON, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Another seven people in China have been infected with the new and often deadly H7N9 strain of bird flu, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday, adding to at least 24 new cases last week and confirming a fresh wave of the virus. One of the seven cases, which […] Read more
Stories by Reuters News Service
Probation recommended for Colorado farmers tied to listeria outbreak
DENVER, Jan 18 (Reuters) – Two Colorado farmers whose listeria-contaminated cantaloupes killed 33 people in 2011 should be sentenced to five years of probation, a prosecutor told a court on Friday. Eric and Ryan Jensen, former owners of Colorado-based Jensen Farms, pleaded guilty in October to charges stemming from one of the deadliest U.S. outbreaks […] Read more
Global farm ministers call for higher, diverse food production
HAMBURG, Jan 18 (Reuters) – A meeting of agriculture ministers from 69 countries on Saturday called for higher farm productivity coupled with cultivation of diverse crop types to help beat world hunger. Global farming needs to maintain a balance between diversity and high output while avoiding monoculture of single crops, said a statement from Germany’s […] Read more
USDA grain estimates should include survey on corn feed use-study
CHICAGO, Jan 17 (Reuters) – The U.S. Agriculture Department should develop a survey of corn feed use to make its benchmark monthly and quarterly grain estimates more accurate for the grain industry, according to a University of Illinois study of U.S. grain and soybean forecasts issued on Friday. Traders and analysts have been concerned in […] Read more
California governor declares drought emergency
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 17 (Reuters) – California Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency on Friday, a move that will allow the parched state to seek federal aid as it grapples with what could turn out to be the driest year in recorded state history for many areas. The dry year California experienced in 2013 […] Read more
Live cattle futures gain 6th straight week, hogs edge lower
By Theopolis Waters CHICAGO, Jan 17 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures gained modestly on Friday and finished with their sixth straight weekly gain, boosted as wholesale beef prices stayed at record highs, traders and analysts said. Friday morning’s wholesale choice beef price was $231.75 per hundredweight (cwt) in light sales volume, climbing […] Read more
Russia halts Australia beef byproduct imports over growth stimulant
MOSCOW/SYDNEY (Reuters) — Russia is temporarily banning the import of beef byproducts from Australia, citing the detection in shipments of a growth stimulant it prohibits, throwing into doubt exports that brought in around $8.81 million last year for Australia. The ban will be imposed from Jan. 27 and is prompted by the detection in several […] Read more
Four former Yara executives to be tried in bribery case
OSLO (Reuters) — Norwegian police said on Friday they had indicted four former executives of fertilizer maker Yara — including its former chief executive and top legal counsel — with paying about $8 million in bribes in Libya and India. Police said that Yara executives bribed officials, including the family of former Libyan leader Muammar […] Read more
ANALYSIS: In year of abundance, Canada’s farmers miss the boat
By Rod Nickel Jan 16 (Reuters) – Canada’s record canola and wheat harvests have clogged its rail arteries and overwhelmed its ports, sticking Glencore and other grain handlers with millions of dollars in shipping penalties and leaving farmers’ bins flush with crops worth less by the day. The unprecedented output from the world’s biggest canola […] Read more
Live cattle futures post gains, but off record high, Hogs up on demand hopes
By Theopolis Waters CHICAGO, Jan 16 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle on Thursday finished in the plus column for a third straight session, but off record highs set earlier in the day, traders and analysts said. February live cattle closed 0.725 cents per pound higher at 140.150 cent, after hitting a new contract […] Read more
