The advocacy group Food Policy Action is weighing in on the presidential election for the very first time. Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report says the group is endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, saying she has a record of supporting food policies that increase access to healthy foods, supports fair labor conditions for farm workers, and supports more sustainable agriculture practices. The group says, “Unlike Clinton, Republican nominee Donald Trump has been on record supporting policies that would hurt our food system, including his objections to consumer transparency, his objections to vital safety net programs for seniors and families, as well as his plans to dissolve the Food and Drug Administration.”

Cargill’s largest contributor to adjusted operating earnings in the first quarter was the Animal Nutrition and Protein Division. The beef business led the way in profitability, which was helped by higher numbers of cattle in the supply chain as well as consumer demand for more beef. The poultry-based divisions, along with turkey and egg businesses, were more profitable than they were in the previous year. Animal nutrition product sales grew in Asia and North America, contributing to the strong growth as well. Aqua Feed sales were down in some countries due to weather-related incidents. The segment’s new aqua nutrition unit offset part of the impact with its overall sales strength. Cargill wants to grow its protein portfolio, so it purchased Five Star Custom Foods, which specializes in cooked protein products for food service and food manufacturing sectors.

Monsanto reported net sales down ten percent and profits 42 percent lower in Fiscal Year 2016. Monsanto had net sales of $2.6 billion dollars in fiscal year 2016, with net sales for the full fiscal year at $13.5 billion. Full net sales were down year-over-year thanks to currency challenges and price declines in agricultural productivity. Seeds and genomic net sales were $1.6 billion in the fourth quarter, and totaled $10 billion for the year. Ag productivity sales were $997 million for the quarter and for the fiscal year were $3.5 billion. The company’s expenses were flat year-over-year on an as-reported basis. Expenses increased primarily due to $280 million in PCB litigation. Research and Development costs decreased slightly due to currency and transformation cost savings. Monsanto reported a net loss of $191 million in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared to a net loss of $495 million at the same time last year. Net income for 2016 was $1.3 billion, compared to $2.3 billion in income the year before.

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.