ROCHESTER, Minn./CHICAGO (Reuters) – American farmers helped elect President Donald Trump in 2016 on hopes he would shake up Washington and turn around a struggling agricultural economy, but many of his policies have actually stung farmers, notably his trade war with China and biofuel waivers for oil refiners. Many farmers are angry, and some are directing their anger […] Read more
Author Archives
Tyson Foods slowed chicken processing after U.S. recalls, raising costs
(Reuters) – Tyson Foods Inc slowed chicken processing after it recalled millions of pounds of poultry this year over concerns they contained extraneous materials like rubber and metal, Chief Executive Noel White said on Wednesday. The slower processing led to higher costs that contributed to a $220-million cut to the company’s expected adjusted earnings for […] Read more
Farmer’s threat prompts USDA to pull staff from crop tour
HENRY COUNTY, Ill./CHICAGO, Aug 21 (Reuters) – The U.S. Agriculture Department said on Wednesday it had pulled all staff from an annual crop tour after an employee was threatened, and three sources said the threat came over the phone from an angry farmer. Farmers have complained this month that a government crop report did not […] Read more
U.S. livestock dining on the finer things
U.S. farmers are feeding their livestock everything from outdated pet food and leftover bakery rolls to crops imported from South America after unprecedented spring planting delays boosted prices for locally grown corn. Corn is typically used to fatten hogs, cattle and poultry, but its high price has farmers in the $150 billion U.S. meat and […] Read more
Walmart creates Angus beef supply chain, cutting out meat processors
(Reuters) – Walmart Inc is taking control of the supply chain for Angus beef sold in some of its stores, cutting out meat processors as the company looks to offer higher quality products in an intensely competitive grocery industry. The world’s largest retailer said on Wednesday that the move would allow it to ensure supplies […] Read more
How a Philippines regulator stymied DowDuPont’s global seed launch
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) – A Philippines regulator poses an unexpected obstacle to DowDuPont’s launch of a new line of genetically engineered soybeans in the United States as the company challenges Bayer AG’s decades-long dominance of the U.S. seed market. China’s January approval for imports of DowDuPont’s Enlist E3 soybeans – amid the U.S.-China trade war […] Read more
DowDuPont farm unit plans to launch Enlist E3 soy broadly in 2020
CHICAGO (Reuters) – DowDuPont’s agriculture unit, Corteva Agriscience, is gearing up to broadly sell farmers in North America and Brazil a new type of genetically modified soybean for planting next year in a challenge to rival Bayer AG . Corteva revealed its plans for Enlist E3 soy seeds on Thursday, after top global soy buyer […] Read more
Trade wars cost U.S., China billions of dollars each in 2018
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — The U.S.-China trade war resulted in billions of dollars of losses for both sides in 2018, hitting industries including autos, technology and above all, agriculture. Broad pain from trade tariffs outlined by several economists shows that, while specialized industries including U.S. soybean crushing benefited from the dispute, it had an overall […] Read more
China’s slow approvals of biotech crops cost U.S. $7 billion, says industry group
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Delays in Chinese approvals of imported genetically modified crops have cut U.S. gross domestic product by about $7 billion over the past five years by reducing sales of crops and other goods, an industry group that represents global seed companies said on Wednesday. The report by CropLife International indicates what is at […] Read more
China trade row sows confusion in farmer planting plans
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Tom Giessel is cutting back on plantings this year on his farm in central Kansas as he reckons with a drought, a glut in global grains supply and trade tensions between the United States and China. About 200 miles away in the northwestern part of the state, farmer Janet Bear swapped the […] Read more
