The European Union has resumed investigations into the Dow-DuPont merger after the company’s submitted missing information requested by the EU antitrust authority. Dow Jones reports the European Commission has set a new date of February 6th, 2017, to complete the investigation into the merger. However, those familiar with the investigation warm the deadline could still be extended. Dow and DuPont had previously planned to close the deal before the end of this year. The European Commission halted the investigation because of the missing information last month, just a month after the EU opened a review of the merger. The European Commission is examining the potential merger on concerns the combination may reduce competition in crop protection, seeds and certain petrochemicals.

World Health Summit attendees in Berlin next week will dine on a Meatless Monday menu. Meatingplace calls the menu a sign of endorsing a global Meatless Monday movement by the World Health Organization. The World Health Summit, scheduled for October 9th through the 11th, is an international platform for exploring strategic developments and decisions in the healthcare. The Meatless Monday endorsement was designed to fit with the summit’s session on “Planetary Health” that will explore the long-term health implications of changes in the environment. Michael Klag, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Dean and 2012 World Health Summit president, called the Meatless Monday movement “an important public health campaign.”

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer recorded a slight improvement last month, compared to the August reading. Organizers of the survey say the Ag Economy Barometer was at 101 in September. While the reading was moderately above the August value of 95, the barometer’s current reading remains well below its peak of 112 in July. The Barometer surveys 400 agricultural producers monthly. A rating below 100 is negative, while a rating above 100 indicates positive sentiment regarding the agriculture industry. Organizers say the data shows producers are pessimistic about current conditions in agriculture but continue to express some optimism regarding future economic prospects. The report says over the next year, farmers are a bit more optimistic about the future direction of prices for livestock and livestock products, especially beef cattle and milk, than at any time in the last year.

The Department of Agriculture Tuesday announced payments to farmers enrolled in safety-net programs due to market downturns during the 2015 crop year. USDA says many of the 1.7 million farms enrolled in either the Agriculture Risk Coverage or Price Loss Coverage programs will receive payments. USDA will issue more than $7 billion in payments, which USDA says is more than 10 percent of the projected 2016 net farm income. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the payments will “provide reassurance” to farmers “who are standing strong against low commodity prices.” Unlike the old direct payment program, which issued payments during both weak and strong market conditions, the 2014 Farm Bill authorized the ARC-PLC safety net to trigger and provide financial assistance only when decreases in revenues or crop prices, respectively, occur.

A new report by Bloomberg says hog futures were the worst investment in commodities last quarter and the past year. That’s because there are too many pigs coming to market, forcing slaughterhouses to add weekend shifts in November and December. Those increased supplies come at a time of sluggish export demand. China more than doubled U.S. pork purchases in the first half of the year but has now put the brakes on buying. Bloomberg further notes that hog futures also face devaluation of the peso which threatens shipments to Mexico, the destination for 40 percent of U.S. hams. PCI Advisory Services broker Dustin Guy says “we have a black cloud over the market as a whole,” as the slaughter numbers have scared some investment positions away. The Department of Agriculture’s Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report from last week showed there were 70.9 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, up two percent from last September and four percent higher than June of this year.

The Department of Agriculture announced a new jobs program that will use the national apprenticeship system to hire new employees as agricultural commodity graders. The graders are a key role in USDA’s mission to protect American consumers. The program, piloted by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, combines on-the-job training with theoretical and practical instruction in the classroom and online. Apprentices who complete the paid training program will meet the qualifications for a position as a USDA Agricultural Commodities Grader. USDA employs more than 11,000 veterans and since 2009 has provided more than $505 million in direct farm loans to help more than 7,400 veterans start, maintain or grow their farming operations. Find more information online at AMS dot USDA dot gov (www.ams.usda.gov).

China may soon impose measures to protect its soybean industry, based on remarks from a leading figure in the country’s agricultural production sector. A trade official at China’s Agriculture Ministry said it might be necessary to introduce anti-dumping tariffs and other measures to curb imports and protect domestic production. Pro Farmer’s First Thing Today reports trade officials in China have long talked about protecting China’s agricultural industries, both to ensure food security and to alleviate poverty, which is most prominent in China’s rural areas. However, one industry contact questioned the potential moves, questioning “they want to protect their domestic industry and their consumers?” Noting that import protection leads to higher prices, the source said the talk “sounds more like jawboning prices down further.”

A new report released Monday by the Department of Agriculture shows the U.S. biobased industry in 2014 contributed $393 billion and 4.2 million jobs to America’s recovering economy. The report also indicates that the sector grew from 2013 to 2014, creating or supporting an additional 220,000 jobs and $24 billion over that period. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says the report shows America has an appetite for everyday products—including plastic bottles, textiles, cleaning supplies and more—made from renewable sources. The new report shows that the industry directly supported 1.53 million jobs in 2014, with each job in the industry responsible for generating 1.76 jobs in other sectors. In 2013, the industry was found to contribute $369 billion and four million jobs to the U.S. economy. Vilsack announced the report Monday at the National Press Club in Washington D.C.