As the international price of wheat firms up, global supply and demand balance is going to tighten in 2018-2019. That forecast comes from the Food Outlook, a biannual report published by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. The global wheat production forecast is set to drop by 4.3 percent from the record level of last year. Total production is now predicted to add up to 727.9 million tons. Australia, China, the Russian Federation, and the EU are the primary causes of the year-over-year contraction. Those nations are also the primary reason for the overall lowering of the global production outlook. Production is expected to expand in both North and South America. Wheat utilization around the world will slightly increase in 2018-2019, with the minimal gain held in check by lower use rates in the Russian Federation and Ukraine. However, global wheat use for food production is expected to rise one percent higher. Because world production is expected to fall below usage level, global wheat stocks in 2019 will drop 4.5 percent lower than the record-high opening level.

Californians overwhelmingly passed a ban on confining farm animals in cages during Tuesday’s election. The Hagstrom Report says Proposition 12 sets space requirements for laying hens, breeding pigs, and calves raised for veal. Prop 12 also bans the sale in California of meat and eggs not raised according to state standards. It even bans the sale of products from out of state that also doesn’t meet those same California standards. Kitty Block, the Acting President of the Humane Society of the U.S., says, “California voters sent a loud and clear message that they reject the cruel cage confinement in the meat and egg industries.” Animal protection, environmental, food safety, and sustainable farming groups all spearheaded the development and eventual passage of Prop 12. More than 600 California veterinarians, over 100 California family farmers, and thousands of volunteers all came out in support of the measure. Now that California has passed Prop 12, a dozen states have laws against extreme animal confinement. Some of the nation’s largest food retailers like Walmart, Costco, Burger King, and hundreds of others all require their meat and egg suppliers to eliminate cages.

House Ag Chair Michael Conaway and the GOP conference committee members have to decide whether or not they’ll give some ground on some of the biggest sticking points of the farm bill debate in order to get a bill passed this year. Those disputes include conservation, commodity policy, and work requirements for SNAP program recipients. Politico says reaching a deal while they still hold the majority in the House of Representatives would help Republicans reach some of their goals before they lose their leverage. House Democrats could choose to start from scratch next year when they assume control, which Politico says the industry might not want to see. It’s possible that Democrats may pull the farm bill to the left with amendments to rein in subsidies on wealthy farmers or adjust federal crop insurance. Ranking member Collin Peterson of Minnesota won a close race on election day and is expected to retake the gavel as chair of the House Ag Committee. Peterson has said he would prefer to not start over and write a new farm bill.

The Organic Trade Association is looking for the “best and brightest ideas” from organic stakeholders on how to put together a voluntary “checkoff-like” program for the organic sector. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue decided last May that the USDA wouldn’t move forward on a mandatory checkoff for the organic industry. As a result, the private sector initiative is being called “GRO Organic.” Laura Batcha (BATCH-uh), CEO of the Association, says, “We want GRO Organic to be a bold and engaged opt-in program that pools resources from everyone who can contribute so that we can collectively address critical needs across the organic sector. The need for more investment in organic is widely agreed upon.” She says the best way to go about doing that is what the industry needs to work together to figure out. Melissa Hughes of the Organic Valley Cooperative in Wisconsin, says, “We have a saying at Organic Valley. None of us is as smart as all of us.” Hughes adds that by working together on this idea, the organic industry will continue to be at the center of the good food movement. The deadline to submit ideas to the OTA is April 19, 2019. Ideas can be submitted by email, which can include attachments.

An analysis of USDA data says corn will take over the top spot from soybeans in planted acres during the next growing season. The Hagstrom Report says it is a reaction to market conditions created by President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports. The data shows corn plantings will likely exceed soybeans by nine to 10 million acres between 2019 and 2023. The Agriculture Department released its agricultural baseline predictions over the weekend. The Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN) analysis says corn plantings are at 92 to 93 million acres a year, while soybeans are at 82.5 and 84 million acres a year. Veteran commodity analyst Chuck Abbott, a FERN Editor, says corn will be the acreage king for years to come. Soybeans will spend time slowly trying to recover from the loss of sales to China. “Corn will continue to cruise along with strong demand and lean stockpiles,” Abbot says. “The first 15-billion bushel corn crop could be harvested by 2020, and will grow to 16 billion bushels by 2025.” Abbot says soybean production may not approach this year’s levels until 2027, at the earliest.

The R-CALF crusade against state beef councils, funded by activists, is expanding. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association calls the attacks a “disappointment to countless beef producers and NCBA members across the country.” NCBA says the allegations are without merit and continue to divide the nation’s producers. The attacks also keep beef councils from working on building demand for America’s beef products. Kendall Frazier, Chief Executive Officer of the NCBA, says regular audits of the beef checkoff and NCBA have found both to be compliant with the laws governing the checkoff. “The USDA’s Office of Inspector General has done two audits, both of which have come back clean,” Frazier says. “R-CALF has become nothing more than a front group for activits seeking to divide the industry. Their goal is to drive down beef demand and push producers out of business.” NCBA says accusations that money invested in the Federation of State Beef Councils is being misused are just as false. NCBA has demonstrated over and over again that the R-CALF attacks are being helped by groups like the Humane Society of the U.S., Food and Water Watch, Public Justice, and other activist organizations opposed to the U.S. beef industry.