SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) — Brazil is expected to export 68 million tonnes of soybeans in 2018, three million tonnes more than a December projection, as a larger crop boosts shipments abroad, soybean industry group Abiove said March 1. Abiove also raised its view for Brazil’s 2017-18 soybean production to 114.7 million tonnes, above last […] Read more
News
Brazil’s soy industry raises export projection
Ukraine soybean area to shrink as profit falls
KIEV, Ukraine (Reuters) — The area sown for soybeans in Ukraine is likely to shrink by 14 to 17 percent this year due to an expected decrease in profits for the crop, analyst UkrAgroConsult said recently. Ukraine harvested 3.89 million tonnes of soybean from 4.7million acres in 2017. “Soybean margins will decrease almost by half […] Read more
South Africa aims to resolve farmland issue
Country’s new president promises to resolve the issue of racial disparities in property ownership ‘once and for all’
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Reuters) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he wants talks on the thorny topic of land expropriation to avoid panic but aims to resolve the issue of racial disparities in property ownership “once and for all”. South Africa took a step on Feb. 28 to hasten the transfer of land […] Read moreU.S. distributors allege chicken price-fixing in lawsuit
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — Top U.S. food distributors Sysco Corp. and U.S. Foods Inc. have sued the country’s biggest chicken processors for allegedly conspiring to inflate prices. The distributors sued companies including Tyson Foods Inc., Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., Sanderson Farms and Perdue Farms in separate complaints filed earlier this year in federal court. The U.S. […] Read more
China seeks to rejuvenate countryside with new policy
BEIJING, China (Reuters) — China wants to modernize its farm sector by 2035 to boost rural incomes and living standards, according to a government policy statement that comes amid growing concern about a widening wealth gap and slowing economy. The document outlines a National Strategic Plan for Rural Vitalization from 2018 to 2022, according to […] Read more
AG Notes
Fruit, vegetable support announced by Ottawa The federal government is investing more than $175,000 to the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corp. The membership-based organization acts as a third party financial dispute resolution body for fruit and vegetable growers. It will receive $118,795 to deliver an education initiative on the impending Safe Food for Canadians […] Read more
Good weather bolsters chance of large grain crop in Russia, Ukraine
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Favourable weather ahead of spring grain sowing in Black Sea producers Russia and Ukraine is bolstering the chances of another large harvest due to good levels of soil moisture, analysts and industry officials said. Active spring grain sowing in Russia and Ukraine, major global exporters of the foodstuff, is expected to start […] Read more
What Canadian law says about self-defence
Stand your ground laws in the United States generate a lot of negative press, possibly because the phrase implies that people should become vigilantes rather than flee the scene and call the police. In Canada, though, the laws around self-defence are surprisingly similar to stand your ground legislation. “Generally, when it comes to your own […] Read more
U.S. farm sector fears looming financial crisis
Growers lobby for a U.S. farm bill with a robust crop insurance program and improved risk management programs
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The U.S. farm sector is on the brink of a full-fledged crisis, say commodity groups. Kevin Skunes, president of the National Corn Growers Association, said the average Iowa farmer in 1993 was paying $74 per acre in machinery costs, $113 per acre in input costs and $92 per acre in land costs. […] Read more
U.S. farmers steel themselves against Trump tariff fallout
American farmers and machinery manufacturers are bracing for higher prices if steel and aluminum tariffs are slapped on products from Canada and other U.S. trading partners. It might be good news for U.S. steel producers, but big users of big iron are worried. “With equipment dealers holding very limited implement inventory, higher steel costs are […] Read more
