USDA 10-year agricultural projections concede major role to ethanol and biodiesel The US Department of Agriculture just released its long-term forecast for the farm sector. USDA Agricultural Projections for 2011-20 cover sector indicators, commodities, and trade. Key...
From the Dregs, Export Success
Biofuel byproduct goes to market as a livestock feed Blogging about the first the U.S. Agribusiness Trade and Investment Mission to Peru and Ecuador earlier this month, Michael Scuse of the U.S. Department of Agriculture tells of visiting a Peruvian feed mill and...
Type Casting?
Corn ethanol is cast as a culprit in rising food prices (again) A Financial Times report from the Commodity Markets Council annual meeting (this week in Palm Beach) notes that Dodd-Frank financial system reforms top the list of worries for the commodities futures...
Miami Briefing: FDA Impact on Imports
Expert panel to review compliance with new food import safety rules Earlier this month we took a quick look at the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. If you’re in the Miami area, you have an opportunity to get an in-depth briefing on the new FDA food safety...
Sizing up the Usual Suspects
Sorting out possible causes as yet another global food crisis looms The world’s poorest are at risk of being priced out of the market for food because … we’re burning corn and other staple crops for biofuel … the rising middle classes in the BRICs and beyond are...
New Rules for Food Imports
Food Safety Modernization Act broadens FDA oversight and enforcement authority Last May, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found room for improvement in the way the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees the safety of U.S. food imports. Imports from...
Certifiably Sustainable Seafood
WWF’s Aquaculture Dialogues yield standards for farming tilapia and pangasius Just before Christmas, the WWF (World Wildlife Federation) released news that tilapia farmed in Indonesia and Honduras will be placed in a brand-new category within its seafood guide:...
Free Report: Fresh Grapes from Peru
Datamyne Tops in Trade Report covers a leading source for U.S. wintertime grapes As the U.S. moves into winter, imports of grapes and other fresh fruits shift into high gear. As noted in Fresh from the Southern Hemisphere, most U.S. imported fresh grapes come from...
Fresh from the Southern Hemisphere
South America starts shipping grapes to the winter-bound north The season has just begun, but forecasters are projecting a bumper crop of fruit exports from South America, led by grapes. Grapes are the second-ranked (by value) fruit import in the U.S. (Bananas top the...
A Cassava by Any Other Name
Yuca, manioc, tapioca … it’s still one versatile tuber Cassava (manihot esculenta) is getting a lot of attention as a pro-poor biofuel that could be a comer in the international ethanol market. But the tropical plant’s starchy root has myriad uses and figures...