Glyphosate, the world’s herbicide of choice, may be a victim of its popularity While debate continues over the pros and cons of planting sugar beets genetically modified to be “Roundup Ready” [see A Time to Plant, a Time to Sue], it appears that nature has done some...
The fate of GMO sugar beets is still being argued in court US growers getting ready to plant this year’s sugar beet crop have, since last year’s harvest, seen official permission to plant GMO [genetically-modified organism] beets challenged in court, rescinded,...
The Chinese don’t drink much apple juice, they make it for US The latest issue of Amber Waves, the quarterly from the US Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, spotlights China’s role as the world’s largest supplier of apple juice concentrate and the...
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...
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...
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...
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...
U.S. imports will include more fresh veggies and, especially, fruit The U.S. Department of Agriculture current Long-Term Projection foresees U.S. agricultural import values rising to US$106 billion in fiscal year 2019, compared with US$79.3 billion in 2008. Strong...
The USDA’s food consumption data series marks its centennial The U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service recently marked the 100th anniversary of its Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System by updating access to its data and adding some useful new...
Organic foods claim a bigger share of grocery carts The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched a weekly market report on organic fruits and vegetables in April, acknowledgement that natural and organic foods now claim a big share of the mainstream U.S....
