News

WASHINGTON, DC, US — Pointing to lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent supply chain disruptions, the US Department of Agriculture on June 8 announced plans to invest more than $4 billion to strengthen critical supply chains through the Biden administration’s Build Back Better initiative. The new effort aimed to strengthen the food system, create new market opportunities, tackle the climate crisis, help communities that have been left behind, and support good-paying jobs throughout the supply chain.

The announcement was ...

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US — Grain transportation markets were mostly quiet last week. Offerings at the Kansas City and Minneapolis gateways were limited.

In light of a large Kansas harvest projected by the Wheat Quality Council’s hard winter wheat tour following significant moisture events, shippers were heartened to hear Union Pacific Railroad at auction on June 1 sold cars at tariff for last-half July and both halves of August and September.

The average June shuttle railcar bids-offers per car on the secondary ...

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — Industrial compound feed production in the European Union (EU) remained stable in 2020 despite the combined effect of the spread of animal diseases and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a June 7 report from the European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC).

EU compound feed production (EU 27+UK) for farmed animals in 2020 is estimated at 164.9 million tonnes, an incremental increase of 0.1% compared to 2019, according to data provided by FEFAC members. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its ...

The most recent five-year projection on supply and demand for the major grains published by the International Grains Council explain why there should be no complacency about productivity gain and trade facilitation in order to sustain a global balance sheet as well as trade needs for importing countries.

The following projections are possible supply-and-demand scenarios for the next five-year period through 2025-26, taking into consideration a number of broad assumptions, historical trends and expert analyses of demand trends in the post-COVID-19 ...

PARIS, FRANCE — Warm weather helps European wheat crops bounce back from cold spring weather, Reuters reported.

Forecasts for soft wheat output has increased since late May, with COCERAL now estimating combined EU and Britain crop up 14% compared to 2020.

Benjamin Bodart, an analyst with Agritel, told Reuters “Crops are a bit behind, but conditions are fine. We cannot talk about a disastrous crop anymore, we are back to an average-plus crop. The issue could be more about the quality than ...

WASHINGTON, DC, US — The US Department of Agriculture forecast higher prices for grains, oilseeds and soybean oil but mixed and mostly lower values for dairy, eggs and meat in its initial 2021-22 projections contained in the May 14 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report.

The higher grain, oilseed and soybean oil prices came as no surprise after those commodities recently set multi-year highs in futures markets amid concerns about strong demand and tight supplies both domestically and globally for ...

NORWICH, UNITED KINGDOM — John Innes Centre scientists are urging world governments to address major wheat losses by investing in a new international research fund to improve global food security.

The overall goal of the research platform is to reduce the impact of wheat pathogens and call for a coordinated approach to a new “R-Gene Atlas,” which would help identify new genetic solutions for disease resistance for crops.

According to the John Innes Centre, the world loses one fifth of the projected ...

KELOWNA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — Red Leaf Pulp Ltd., developer of a proprietary wheat straw-based pulp mill, announced on June 2 that the company will locate its initial facility in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

The company has secured properties on the west side of Regina and will begin building the C$350 million facility in early 2022.

The plant will be the first of its kind in Canada and have the capacity to produce approximately 182,000 tonnes of market pulp annually from waste wheat ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA, US — The outlook of US farmers on the nation’s agriculture economy dimmed considerably in May, with the Purdue University/CM Group Ag Economy Barometer falling 20 points to 158, the lowest mark for the monthly survey since September 2020.

Producers were less optimistic about both current conditions and the future of the agricultural economy. The Index of Current Conditions dropped 17 points to a reading of 178 and the Index of Future Expectations fell 20 points to a ...

KENILWORTH, UNITED KINGDOM — The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has launched a new marketing campaign focused on raising awareness of the importance of including whole grains in a healthy, balanced diet.

The campaign, “Beige is Beautiful,” will feature artwork from food artist Prudence Staite, who will use whole grains to recreate an iconic piece of art that will be used as a visual reference to illustrate the campaign’s key messages. The campaign is expected to run during May and ...