The ISO celebrates the standards that make the world accessible. Today (October 14) is World Standards Day. The ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, along with the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) and IEC (International Electrotechnical...
Something Fishy from China
Kansas City Star uses Datamyne to trace origins of fish oil supplements Fish oil sales in the U.S. are on the rise, from $35 million in 1995 to $359 million in 2005, and just under $1 billion last year, the Kansas City Star reports. Sold in capsule form, fish oil is...
America’s Top (Ag) Export
U.S. growers want to open more markets to soybeans It’s the time of year when U.S. soybean growers are asked to send in samples to provide a preview of new-crop soybean quality for international purchasers. Growers underwrite the cost of the annual quality survey with...
Refresh 9/22/10
… recent developments in stories we’ve covered … Tug of War over PotashCorp BHP bid signals realignment in global N-P-K sector posted August 31st 2010 Update: Saskatchewan-based PotashCorp has filed suit against Anglo-Australian BHP Billiton in a U.S. district court...
What a Difference a Trade War Can Make
Miami Herald taps Datamyne to gauge impact of Colombia-Venezuela feud The Miami Herald’s Jim Wyss writes today about the likelihood that Venezuela and Colombia can end the rift that’s caused commerce between the erstwhile trading partners to tumble 70%. As Wyss notes,...
Balancing Act
Louisiana lobbies for monitoring and marketing its seafood Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) biologists are reported to be collecting thousands of specimens of crab, shrimp and finfish in the waters east of the Mississippi Delta for Food and Drug...
Tug of War over PotashCorp
BHP bid signals realignment in global N-P-K sector It’s a pretty safe bet: As the world’s population increases, so too will demand for food. That makes fertilizer – and its three primary ingredients nitrogen (N), phosphate (phosphorus or P) and potash (potassium or K)...
From Few to Many
Approximately 80% of world potash is traded across borders Every farmer needs it, but there are few producers of potash, one of the three essential components of fertilizer (the other two are nitrogen and phosphate). According to Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc.,...
Sugar Rush
A U.S. federal court ruling is a global market changer Global sugar supplies were already tightening because of the Russian drought, Pakistan’s floods, and weather delays at the ports of top exporter Brazil, when a potentially huge hit to U.S. stocks emerged from the...
Ripple Effect
The oil spill continues to roil the Gulf ecosystem and economy The idea was to push the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill back from coastal areas with torrents of fresh water by opening several Mississippi River diversions. Unfortunately, it appears that the...