Michigan Democrat and U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow told consumer groups last week that any proposed GMO labeling bill will not be perfect. Groups such as Just Label It and the Center for Food Safety have pushed for a nationwide, mandatory GMO labeling system, such as the one set to take effect in Vermont in July. Pro Farmer’s First Thing Today reports Stabenow stressed that getting labeling standards through Congress will require a compromise. Stabenow also told reporters that she recently sent GMO labeling language to Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Pat Roberts, noting that her stance has not changed. Stabenow is the ranking Democrat on the committee and a proponent of mandatory GMO labeling. Chairman Roberts prefers a voluntary labeling measure. However, his bill failed in the Senate last month.
Category: Agriculture
Daily cash grain bids
April 8th, 2016
St Joseph |
|
Yellow Corn |
3.47 – 3.55 |
White Corn |
no bid |
Soybeans |
8.82 – 8.90 |
LifeLine Foods |
3.57 |
|
|
|
Atchison |
|
Yellow Corn |
3.58 |
Soybeans |
8.71 |
Hard Wheat |
3.65 |
Soft Wheat |
2.85 |
|
|
|
Kansas City Truck Bids |
|
Yellow Corn |
3.57 – 3.62 |
White Corn |
3.89 – 3.93 |
Soybeans |
9.12 |
Hard Wheat |
4.38 |
Soft Wheat |
3.10 |
Sorghum |
5.75 |
For more information, contact the 680KFEQ Farm Department.
816-233-8881.
Agriculture drone market potentially worth $3.69 billion
A market research firm predicts the agriculture drone market to be worth $3.69 billion by the year 2022. The forecast by RnR Market Research says the market is poised for significant growth over the next few years. The researchers expect the growth to come from the use of cameras on drones for precision farming practices. The 288-page report examines major leaders in the market. The study says the use of drones brings transparency to agriculture, along with improved efficiently and higher productivity. The current worldwide market for agricultural drones is $494 million. Meanwhile, Investment of venture capital in agricultural technology start-ups reached $2.06 billion in the first half of last year.
March food price index increases
The monthly World Food Price Index increased by one percent last month. The monthly index measured by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was released Thursday. While the overall index increased, the index remains 12 percent lower than March of last year. Sugar prices rebounded in March, along with vegetable oil, which offsets the continued plunge in dairy values. The cereal grains price index was little changed compared with February while the vegetable oil index jumped 6.3 percent. The dairy price index fell 8.2 percent in March to a level last seen in June of 2009. While prices for all dairy commodities fell, butter and cheese were the most affected, reflecting a build-up of stocks in the major exporting countries. The meat price index was little changed, while the sugar price index increased 17.1 percent, reaching its highest level since November of 2014. The report says the increase reflects the expectation of an even larger production deficit during the current crop year than earlier anticipated, following the recent heavy rainfall in Brazil, the world’s biggest sugar producer.
NASS launches local foods study
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will conduct the first-time local foods survey. USDA hopes the survey, announced Thursday, will provide a data benchmark on the local foods sector in the United States. Called the “2015 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey,” the survey will ask producers for information on their production and local marketing of foods during the 2015 calendar year. The survey will contain data on the value of food sales by marketing channel, the value of crop and livestock sales, marketing practices, expenses and federal farm program participation. Producers who receive the 2015 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey from NASS can fill out the survey online via a secure website, or return their form by mail. The website is www dot ag counts dot USDA dot gov (www.agcounts.usda.gov).
China plans to cut corn acreage
China hopes to cut corn acreage in northern areas of the country by roughly 8.2 million acres and switch them to other crops by the year 2020, according to its agriculture ministry. Pro Farmer’s First Thing Today reports this year alone, around 1.6 million acres are expected to be cut in areas deemed unsuitable for corn growing. The ministry says it will instead focus on stabilizing corn production in the major growing areas. Last year, the country planted 94.2 million acres to corn. China plans to set aside funding to encourage farmers in arid areas to shift to silage corn and alfalfa while corn belt areas will be pushed to return to rotations with soybeans. A Chinese agriculture official said the country will focus on boosting domestic soybean production for human consumption though neither self-sufficiency nor lowering soybean imports are goals of the program.
Ag Director: “St Joseph port critical to agriculture in NW Missouri”
Mr Fordyce says the port is critical to the future of agriculture in Northwest Missouri.
“If you look at the way the Missouri River runs, coming from the Mississippi, St. is on further past Kansas City,” Fordyce said. “To have a viable port where there’s activity, and things coming in and going out, it’s critical to the success of agriculture in Northwest Missouri.”
Director Fordyce joined the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce at a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the additional of new equipment needed to unload bulk product from barges onto trucks at the St. Joseph Regional Port Authority’s intermodal transportation facility along the Missouri River Thursday.
The Authority was formed in 1987 and has had a long road of redevelopment efforts in the Stockyards Industrial Park to become a functioning river port. The facility currently serves primarily to bring fertilizer into the region and to ship out grain products.
In an interview he noted that improvements at the St Joseph port tie directly into the expansion of the Panama Canal, which will make it much cheaper to ship commodoties to Asian markets.
“What’s so important about the development, and the continued progress of the St Joseph port, is how that plays into the expansion of the Panama Canal. With the expansion and larger vessels going through the new locks, it significantly reduces the freight costs, to get those U.S. products, and Missouri-specific products to our Asian markets.”
Fordyce also urged Missouri voters to get acquainted with an upcoming ballot issue to renew the state’s dedicated sales tax for parks and soil conservation. The ten-year renewal of the 1/10 cent sales tax will be on the ballot later this year.
“My advice is vote for it. It’s one-tenth of a cent and we’ve been paying it for 30 years. The return from that investment have paid big dividends for Missouri agriculture, and paid big dividends for Missouri taxpayers.”
Director Fordyce tells us he is optimistic for the future of agriculture nationally, in Missouri and here in Northwest Missouri.
“I would say that the future is bright for agriculture,” he said. “All of us that farm understand that we’re in a little bit of a time of depressed commodity prices. But if you look at the industry in general, you know that we’re very strong in technology, we’re very strong in new advances in the industry, whether it’s crop or livestock technology.
“We’re going to have to absorb, and hunker down, and get through this time with depressed prices, but the industry in general is very strong.”
February Meat Exports Sluggish
The U.S. Meat Export Federation reports February meat exports were sluggish. While pork and beef exports were roughly steady with last year’s volumes, export value moved lower as prices continued to decline from the 2014 highs. USMEF says the price reductions reflect more abundant red meat supplies and a fiercely competitive international marketplace. Pork export volume was 171,413 metric tons in February, down one percent from a year ago, while value fell 12 percent to $414.3 million. February beef exports totaled 83,203 metric tons, up slightly from last year, while value dropped 18 percent to $437 million.
Wal-Mart shifting to 100 percent cage-free eggs by 2025
The world’s largest retail chain will transition to cage-free eggs by 2025. Bloomberg reports Wal-Mart and its Sam’s Club warehouse chain will require that its egg suppliers adopt United Egg Producers rules or an equivalent set of standards for cage-free housing. The company says compliance will be checked annually by a third party. Wal-Mart sells more groceries than any other company in the country. The new guidelines will apply to the retailer’s more than 5,000 stores in the United States. The move by Wal-Mart puts more pressure on the egg industry which is facing a costly transition to cage-free housing. The United Egg Producers group says only six percent of U.S. hens are currently raised without cages.
Fertilizer industry study finds the sector supports 500,000 jobs
A new study finds the fertilizer sector contributed more than $162 billion and more 500,000 jobs to the U.S. economy in 2014. The Fertilizer Institute announced the economic impact study this week that the organization says quantifies the fertilizer industry’s contribution to the U.S. economy. The study, conducted for The Fertilizer Institute by John Dunham and Associates, includes the direct contribution, supplier contribution and downstream impact of the entire industry, from manufacturers to wholesalers, retailers and goods and service providers. The results found the fertilizer industry directly employs 85,000 people who produce over $68 billion in output. The nation’s fertilizer retailers alone support more than 43,000 jobs with a total annual payroll of $23 billion. Fertilizer manufacturers and wholesalers combined contribute another 41,000 jobs with a combined annual economic impact of $46 billion.