The Health and Safety Agency in France will soon ban certain types of herbicides that combine glyphosate with tallowamine. The agency sent a note to manufacturers this week announcing the withdrawal of the authorization of these products. The European Food Safety Agency published a report suggesting a greater risk potential than with glyphosate alone. Glyphosate is a common ingredient in products like Monsanto’s Roundup, which has been the subject of fierce debate since a World Health Organization body declared it possibly carcinogenic. Tallowamine is used in the product to help it be more effectively absorbed by plants. Monsanto said economic impact would be minimal since it’s already shifted away from using tallowamine in its products.
Category: Agriculture
Producers look to plant corn acres, but how much
Prospective planting reports indicate producers will be planting a lot of corn acres, but one expert says the total acreage may dial back a bit. Sue Martin of Ag Investment Services told agweb.com the total number of acres would come down a small degree. She feels a lot of traders are anticipating a big shift in the June acreage report, but there may not be as big a shift as thought. As planting season kicks off, the USDA begins its prospective plantings reports this week. The market will watch US plantings and try to gage global supplies at the same time. Martin expects a downward slip in corn numbers, as we get closer to May, noting that soybeans tend to gain on corn acres through the end of May.
Challenge to ban on swine antibiotic
Phibro Animal Health Corporation says it will request a hearing to challenge the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine moving toward banning the use of carbadox in pigs over cancer concerns.Carbadox has been in use by US pork producers for nearly four decades. The FDA approved Carbadox in the 1970’s to control swine dysentery and bacterial swine enteritis. Friday, the FDA said a risk assessment shows pork derived from animals treated with the drug may contain carcinogenic residue. The FDA is not recommending consumers change food choices while regulators attempt to remove it from the marketplace, citing potential risks from a lifetime of consuming pork containing the residues.
China beef and pork imports to rise
China’s 2016 pork production levels are expected to decline from a year ago. Pro Farmer’s First Thing Today says feed prices are expected to decline, but farmers in China don’t have access to capital to expand their herds. As a result, the nation’s imports will likely climb 300,000 metric tons over last year, to 1.3 million metric tons. Pork processors are expected to utilize lower cost imports to meet domestic demand. Domestic production won’t meet domestic demand, so imports have the potential to climb near 750,000 metric tons.
Daily cash grain bids
April 11th, 2016
St Joseph |
|
Yellow Corn |
3.42 – 3.50 |
White Corn |
no bid |
Soybeans |
8.93 – 9.01 |
LifeLine Foods |
3.52 |
|
|
|
Atchison |
|
Yellow Corn |
3.52 – 3.53 |
Soybeans |
8.83 |
Hard Wheat |
3.48 |
Soft Wheat |
2.73 |
|
|
|
Kansas City Truck Bids |
|
Yellow Corn |
3.52 – 3.57 |
White Corn |
3.86 – 3.92 |
Soybeans |
9.23 |
Hard Wheat |
4.22 |
Soft Wheat |
2.97 |
Sorghum |
5.66 |
For more information, contact the 680KFEQ Farm Department.
816-233-8881.
Despite rhetoric, Americans see trade policy favorably
More than half of U.S. adults polled for a recent PEW study indicated they viewed trade agreements between the United States and other countries positively. The U.S. Grains Council says the study results are good news for agriculture, which relies on global sales to help promote profitability. The PEW study found that 51 percent of adults included in the poll thought trade agreements were positive for the United States. Since the end of World War II, the United States has negotiated agreements with 20 countries, which is an important but small collection when compared to the more than 260 trade agreements in place around the world, according to the Grains Council.
Syngenta Viptera Lawsuits Dismissed
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by Syngenta against exporters that handled shipments of corn containing the biotech trait MIR 162. A U.S. District Court Judge dismissed the counterclaims last week against ADM, Cargill and Rail Transfer. Farm Journal reports Syngenta’s claims the grain handlers were also at fault for allowing the Viptera corn, which included the biotech trait, to enter Chinese markets before approval of the trait by China. The judge said federal regulations already govern handling and inspection of U.S. grain. Meanwhile, the lawsuit by farmers against Syngenta will continue. Some farmers are seeking damages for financial losses the farmers claim they suffered when the company marketed Viptera corn before Chinese approval. The producers claim the rejection of corn exports including the trait interrupted trade and lowered commodity prices, costing them an estimated $3 billion.
USDA issues proposed rule to amend organic livestock and poultry practices
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service recently released a proposal to amend organic livestock and poultry production requirements. USDA is proposing the changes to ensure consistent application of the USDA organic regulations. The proposed changes are based on recommendations by the National Organic Standards Board and incorporate public suggestions, according to USDA. The proposal clarifies how producers and handlers must treat livestock and poultry to ensure their health and wellbeing throughout life, including transport and slaughter, and specifies which physical alterations are allowed and prohibited in organic livestock and poultry production. The proposal also establishes minimum indoor and outdoor space requirements for poultry. The public can comment on the proposal by visiting regulations dot gov (www.regulations.gov).
Alaska breeding mutant strains of avian influenza
Researchers in Alaska say the state could be a breeding ground for mutant strains of avian influenza. Politico reports that scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey recently tested 1,000 wild birds in western Alaska and found genetic mixing of Asian and North American flu strains. The results were published in a science journal last month. While the researchers only found low pathogenic viruses, the findings still pose a concern to poultry producers. Low pathogenic viruses cannot spread to poultry, however, as the researchers demonstrate, some fear dangerous strains of high-path avian influenza from Asia could mix with similar North American strains, creating a new, more devastating strain of the virus.
Campbell soup company wants national labeling law
A Campbell Soup Company official says the corporation wants the United States to adopt a mandatory GMO labeling law. Kelly Johnston, Campbell Soup Company vice president for government affairs recently made those remarks to a food policy conference. Johnson says his company lost its fear of GMO labeling after it introduced a product in Australia that was labeled with genetically modified soybeans. The product was one of the company’s most successful rollouts. There are arguments that Campbell’s is a big company forcing an expensive solution on small companies, but Johnston said it is Vermont, which passed the first labeling law in the country, that has imposed the requirement, according to the Hagstrom Report.Johnston also said that Campbell’s does not particularly like the Vermont law and would prefer the bill introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, adding that his bill “is not perfect, but it provides options.”