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☆ In Argentina's drought-hit fields, billion dollar losses and farmers going under
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Lucila Sigal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Dried sunflowers are seen on a farm, amid Argentina's worst drought in sixty years, in Tostado, northern Santa Fe Argentina February 8, 2023. The wheat harvest was already slashed in half by drought. Like many farmers, Giailevra - who has experienced bad droughts before - has seen his livelihood hammered over the last year. Many farmers in the area say they have lost early-sown corn, wheat and soy, so to rake back income they have planted fields with more drought-resistant cotton. The government has rolled out some tax relief measures for farmers, though with depleted state coffers has limited firepower.

Corn planting pace in ParanaParana’s 2021 safrinha crop was its latest planted since at least 2009, so it was especially subject to frost and freeze toward the end of the season. 2 producer of first crop corn, but it does not plant a second crop. Corn planting pace in Mato GrossoAlthough Mato Grosso’s planting pace is not necessarily alarming, it may reduce the corn’s resilience to any potentially tough weather conditions later, and last year provides a great example. May followed the exact same pattern, though Mato Grosso’s corn yields were very respectable last year. Mato Grosso’s biggest risk of late corn planting is the onset of dry season, as early as April.

☆ Bayer says chemicals farmers use to fight insects are safe, but it's more complicated than that, says its ESG head
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The European Union, also in 2018, banned some pesticides that Bayer makes because scientists and regulators linked them to deaths of bees. "It felt like we were on the grill at a barbecue," Kunz, Bayer's head of environmental, social, and governance strategy, told Insider. Beyond neonicotinoids, Kunz said Bayer's strategy to meet its environmental targets involved what he called a more systems-based approach. Bayer also makes digital tools that help farmers apply fertilizer and pesticides more precisely, which can dramatically reduce how much they're needed, Kunz said. Bayer's sustainability efforts are attracting at least some ESG investors and ratings firms.

☆ U.S. farmers plan to go 'heavy on corn' in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Mark Weinraub | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Plans for the upcoming season were made even as doubts mounted about demand and price gains for soybeans outstripped corn late last year. 2 U.S. cash crop, soybeans. Hunnicutt cited the reliability of corn yields as a key reason to go big on corn in 2023. DEMAND WANESU.S. farmers alternate between soybeans and corn in a bid to maintain soil health. Last year's harvest shortfall left corn supplies at their lowest since 2013 and made farmers hopeful that prices would rally in the coming months.

Faced with a shortage of US dollars, Pakistan only has enough foreign currency in its reserves to pay for three weeks of imports. Long lines are forming at gas stations as prices swing wildly in the country of 220 million. Pakistan’s currency, the rupee, recently dropped to new lows against the US dollar after authorities eased currency controls to meet one of the IMF’s lending conditions. The country has been spending more on trade than it has brought in, running down its stock of foreign currency and weighing on the rupee’s value. Pakistan's usually bustling ports, like this one in Karachi, have ground to a halt as the country grapples with a severe shortage of foreign currency.

☆ Drought threatens U.S. wheat production despite acreage bump
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Julie Ingwersen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Mark Nelson, a scout on the Wheat Quality Council's Kansas wheat tour, checks a winter wheat field north of Minneapolis, Kansas, U.S., May 17, 2022. 3 winter wheat producer last year. Winter wheat typically represents about two-thirds of U.S. production, with the remainder planted in the spring, and the U.S. has lost market share to other wheat exporters, including Russia, in recent years. U.S. soft red wheat acres rose by 20% year-on-year and planting jumped by 45% in Illinois, the No. 8 U.S. winter wheat state by acreage.

Combined corn and soy acreage estimates are now closer to 178 million to 180 million rather than 183 million-plus two years ago, keeping primary crop acreage somewhat competitive. Fertilizer prices remain high but have eased since last fall, favorable for corn profitability prospects so long as corn prices do not significantly decline. Insurance price for spring wheat is also set during February, and half of the U.S. spring wheat crop is planted in North Dakota. The state’s spring wheat plantings ended higher than original intentions while corn and soy acres ended lower. Still, U.S. spring wheat acreage in 2022 was down from both intentions and the previous year.

That mildly increases the chance of a bountiful U.S. corn crop, but a disaster cannot be ruled out. La Nina and its warm-phase cousin El Nino usually peak in strength during the U.S. winter. La Nina is on its third consecutive season, but its departure could be near. Although it varied greatly by state, U.S. farmers on average did not produce a stellar corn crop in 2022 due to drought in the west. Recent years where an early-year La Nina gave way to El Nino by year’s end include 2018, 2009 and 2006.

WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - U.S. farm and trade officials raised "grave concerns" over Mexico's agricultural biotechnology policies in meetings with their Mexican counterparts on Monday, as lingering disagreements threaten decades of booming corn trade between the neighbors. The United States accounts for most of Mexican corn imports. U.S. officials traveled to Mexico to discuss Mexico's approach to agricultural biotech products. Mexico's agriculture ministry declined to comment, while the country's economy ministry, which handles trade, did not immediately provide comment. Mexican officials have said they will keep importing GM corn for animal feed.

☆ New Zealand farmers sour on Ardern’s Labour, complicating new PM's path
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Rural voters say reforms by Ardern's Labour Party, meant to improve the environmental impact of farming, are costly and ineffective. Farmers worry that the extra costs and work will make their products more expensive and less competitive in foreign markets. The government has proposed an unpopular plan for farmers to pay for methane emissions from their sheep and cows. New Zealand farmers are some of the most efficient in the world. Andrew Hoggard, national president of Federated Farmers, said many Labour regulations were impractical and made farming difficult.

Zambia has become a test case for the G20-led 'Common Framework' restructuring vehicle launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, but differences with some of its main creditors about the debt relief required means progress has been slow. Its vast swathes of national parks are home or migration routes for some of Africa's most impressive wildlife including lions and elephants. "We will be considering all debt restructuring options that are in the framework (G20 Common Framework)which falls within the DSA (debt sustainability analysis) parameters... and that are acceptable to all parties," the ministry's response added. KAZA conservation areaCOMMON FRAMEWORKWWF's Zambia country head, Nachilala Nkombo, told Reuters that the most recent talks with the government took place last month. Sri Lanka, another Common Framework restructuring country, has said that it would like to do a debt-for-nature swap and with Zambia still hoping to wrap up its deal this year it would likely set a precedent.

☆ Soaring US egg prices put pressure on consumers, businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Chickens may not be able to fly very far, but the price of eggs is soaring. A lingering bird flu outbreak, combined with soaring feed, fuel and labor costs, has led to U.S. egg prices more than doubling over the past year, and hatched a lot of sticker shock on grocery aisles. But egg prices are up significantly more than other foods — even more than chicken or turkey — because egg farmers were hit harder by the bird flu. But she said bird flu remains a wildcard that could still drive prices higher if there are more sizeable outbreaks at egg farms. Any decrease in egg prices would be welcome at Patti Stobaugh’s two restaurants and two bakeries in Conway and Russelville, Arkansas, because all of her ingredients and supplies are more expensive these days.

The ever-important U.S. corn crop may be most primed for a market miss due to an alarmingly low range of guesses. YIELDSAnalysts’ range on U.S. corn yield is a seven-year low and for soybeans it is at least a 13-year low. U.S. farmers did not have a banner corn crop primarily because of drought in western areas. The 2021 corn yield last January was unchanged from November, but otherwise the trade is looking for the smallest January move in corn yield in 14 years. Argentina’s corn crop is seen falling more than 5% to 52 million tonnes from 55 million in December.

☆ Deere gives farmers long-sought ability to repair their own tractors
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The memorandum of understanding with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) gives farmers access to the same Deere documentation, data and diagnostic tools used by the company’s authorized repair shops. In exchange, AFBF officials agreed not to push for state or federal legislation promoting users’ right to repair products they’ve leased or purchased. Farmers have said having to wait days or weeks for an official repair can undermine planting and harvesting schedules. Since 2000, US lawmakers have introduced more than a dozen bills dealing with the right to repair, focusing on automobiles, farm equipment and repairs of medical devices during the Covid-19 pandemic. With Sunday’s MOU, however, the tension between farmers and Deere has been resolved without the need for regulation or legislation, the agreement said.

☆ Analysis: Democrats' downgrade of Iowa's role is a blow to Corn Belt, biofuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Iowa's political importance created a cottage industry out of educating and supporting candidates on issues that corn farmers and ethanol manufacturers care about. "Forward looking, to get Democratic candidates exposed to farm issues and get these issues in front of them is going to be extremely challenging. “It’s a blow to the industry, in terms of educating and informing the Democratic candidates,” Link said. Link noted that many of the Democratic candidates vying for the nomination were often already serving as elected leaders in Washington or would later become vice presidents or cabinet secretaries. The Iowa caucuses helped developed empathy for rural issues that could later be tapped for legislative success.

Historically, ratios below 2.3 are supportive of corn planting and soybeans dominate around 2.5 and above, but the middle can be gray. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently slated 2023 corn acres at 92 million, up from 88.6 million this year. Soybean plantings were seen at 87 million acres in 2023 versus 87.5 million in 2022. Prices as of February should better dictate U.S. farmers’ 2023 planting intentions, but for now, corn’s supremacy has slipped. Unsurprisingly, bean acres were higher and corn acres lower than the earliest ideas that year.

Though a tiny fraction of the nation's plantings, the previously unreported total represents the company's biggest ever release of hybrid wheat. NEARLY 100 YEARSFarmers have used hybrid seeds since the 1930s to grow corn, followed by other crops ranging from peanuts to tomatoes. Producing hybrid wheat seeds is still more complicated and expensive than conventional wheat. Hybrid wheat can produce more uniform results across fields than conventional wheat, and may deliver better yields on poor soil, Hankey said. Syngenta projected in 2015 that its annual sales of hybrid wheat seeds could potentially reach $3 billion by 2032.

☆ U.S. expands dispute settlement consultations over Canadian dairy tariff policies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OTTAWA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The Biden administration said on Tuesday it was requesting new dispute settlement consultations under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal related to Canadian dairy import tariff policies. The United States initiated dispute consultations over some Canadian dairy tariff-rate quotas in May, alleging Canada's allocations deny U.S. retailers access to its markets and undermine the agreement. Last year, the United States requested the creation of a panel under USMCA rules to resolve a dispute over Canadian dairy quotas after failing to settle the issue with Ottawa. The panel in a 50-page report in January said Canada violated the trilateral trade accord by reserving most of its preferential dairy tariff-rate quotas for Canadian processors. Canada has said that it amended its allocation policies for dairy quotas after the panel report.

☆ Air pollution blights India's capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Anuja Jaiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A Hindu man walks amidst heavy smog after praying on the bank of the river Yamuna, in the old quarters of Delhi, India, November 4, 2022. On November 4 at 09:00 IST, Sector 125 in Noida, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of...moreA Hindu man walks amidst heavy smog after praying on the bank of the river Yamuna, in the old quarters of Delhi, India, November 4, 2022. On November 4 at 09:00 IST, Sector 125 in Noida, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 356. Farmers in the bread-basket states are at the forefront of the adoption of mechanized farming, and are increasingly using harvesters to bring in the rice crop. But unlike with manual harvesting, the machines leave stubble and paddy straw in the field.

And Wagner’s beloved fireflies – like so many insects worldwide – have largely vanished in what scientists are calling the global Insect Apocalypse. “Insects are the food that make all the birds and make all the fish,” said Wagner, who works at the University of Connecticut. Humans, too, see some 2,000 species of insects as food. “We’d see yields dropping of all of these crops.”And in nature, about 80% of wild plants rely on insects for pollination. WINNERS AND LOSERSWhile the situation is bleak for insects at large, a few types of insects are thriving.

☆ U.S. threatens legal steps over Mexico's planned GMO corn ban
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday threatened legal action against Mexico's plan to ban imports of genetically modified corn in 2024, saying it would cause huge economic losses and significantly impact bilateral trade. The countries are already in dispute resolution talks over Mexican energy policies, which the United States argues violates the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade pact. The planned ban would halve Mexico's imports of yellow corn from the United States, a Mexican agriculture official told Reuters in October. Supporters of the plan say genetically modified seeds could contaminate Mexico's age-old native varieties. Vilsack said Lopez Obrador had reaffirmed the importance of yellow corn imports for Mexico's food security, and that he was expecting to soon receive a proposal from the president on a potential dialogue over the issue.

The interest rate on her operating note doubled this year and will be higher in 2023. Now, his interest rate is 7.35%, and he expects it could reach 8% by year’s end – a 142% increase in eight months. "It's easier to get financing when interest rates are cheap because [banks] are willing to take more risk," said a CNH Industrial dealer representative, who declined to be named. In separate statements, Deere and AGCO said interest rates they offer depend on loan terms, borrower creditworthiness and equipment type. CNH Industrial said interest rates for larger equipment are lower than rates for smaller machinery.

☆ What Russia left behind after Kherson retreat
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Reuters spoke to more than two dozen people in five provinces across Iraq who all said that a prolonged drought, which has only worsened in recent years, was crippling livelihoods. Farmers in neighbouring Syria and Turkey are also struggling with lower rainfall.

☆ NASA's Artemis mission heads to the moon
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Anuja Jaiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Missile that hit Poland likely a stray
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

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