USA and Canada

For sale: top quality Canadian wheat

Canada is assuring its global wheat customers that it has a top-notch crop to sell them this year.

“We are pleased to share that Canada has excellent quality in all wheat classes,” Dean Dias, chief executive officer of Cereals Canada said in a press release.

Over 90 percent of the Canada Western Red Spring wheat made the top two grades and protein content is higher than usual.

Eighty percent of Canada Western Amber Durum graded No. 1 and No. 2, while over 90 percent of Canada Prairie Spring Red made the top two grades. Both had good protein content.

And there will be ample supplies for customers with an estimated 34.7 million tonnes of wheat, 55 percent more than last year’s drought-reduced crop.

Corey Mamchuk of Cargill provided a market outlook for international buyers attending a Cereals Canada webinar on the new crop.

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American wheat group takes Turkey to task

Turkey is not playing by the rules when producing and exporting wheat flour, according to U.S. Wheat Associates.

“Turkey maintains a web of substantial domestic support programs that incentivize the overproduction of Turkish flour, which is dumped into overseas markets below global price levels,” the group alleged in a recent blog post.

USW said the dumped flour is affecting domestic milling around the world and hurting U.S. wheat exports to the tune of US$100 to $500 million per year.

Leif Carlson, director of market intelligence and trade policy with Cereals Canada, said Canada supports USW’s position on Turkey.

“It’s important that trade conditions in wheat markets are monitored,” he said. “We support rules-based trade and it’s important to Canadian exporters that our competitors, or other exporters around the world, follow the WTO agreements they made.”

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Low Mississippi River threatens grain exports

Low water levels on the Mississippi River in the United States could have an impact on corn and other grain prices, but are unlikely to affect fertilizer deliveries into Canada, say officials.

The Mississippi River is considered low if the stage falls below five feet in Memphis, Tennessee. On Oct. 20 it hit a record low of -10.74 feet.

The stage bounced back to -0.79 feet on Nov. 18, due to rains in Kentucky and Tennessee that made their way into the river basin.

But that relief is expected to be short-lived with the long-term forecast calling for a return to -7.2 feet by Dec. 15.

The low water levels have limited both the number of barges operating on the river and the weight loaded on those barges.

The river system, which feeds ports in the Gulf of Mexico, is critically important for U.S. grain and oilseed exports.

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Plant-based potential touted

Reports of the death of the plant-based protein industry were grossly exaggerated, according to industry proponents.

Major U.S. newspapers have reported that the 10-year plant-based protein fad is over, pointing to ominous signals such as the 80 percent plunge in Beyond Meat’s share price and meat giant JBS terminating its Planterra business.

Murad Al-Katib, president of AGT Food and Ingredients, said reporters are mistakenly drawing conclusions on the long-term viability of an industry based on a “snapshot” of one segment of that industry.

“First of all, there was never a fad here,” he told delegates attending the Plant Forward conference hosted by Protein Industries Canada, Pulse Canada and Plant-Based Foods of Canada.

“There is an underpinning of health, nutrition, wellness and the environment. These are all things that I’ll put my money on every day.”

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New Zealand

Guy Trafford finds that New Zealand’s pastoral base is being eroded, not just by pine forests, but also by lower production, fewer productivity inputs, and now by inflation and interest rate rises

With the rocketing up of the OCR this past week (up +0.75% to 4.25%) everybody’s interest rates are going to increase; farming is not being excluded.

Given that farming has worn the brunt of inflationary pressures so far, the additional increases in interest rates are going to be very unwelcome.

Looking at the agricultural sector as a group they have managed to constrain borrowing reasonably well in the last 5 or more years. Reasons for this no doubt vary across the various ag sectors but in the past, it was driven largely by dairy land purchases, conversions and increasing herd sizes with associated infrastructure. In the last five years or so herd numbers have decreased by about 5%.

Cow numbers have also shown a decrease over the same period (2021 had a small lift no doubt driven by the record pay-outs).

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Rabobank analyst Angus Gidley-Baird assesses the prospects for beef marketing globally in light of a shortage developing in the US, and the outlook for New Zealand supply to fill that demand

The US – the world’s second-largest importer of beef after China – is likely to be looking for even more beef from global markets over the next three years, as its own domestic production declines, Rabobank says in a newly-released report.

And – while New Zealand is among the major global beef exporters that could help fill the gap – its own supply constraints mean it will be challenged to find additional export volumes.

Indeed, the report says, with production constraints in many of the world’s beef- producing nations, international markets will struggle to meet the gap left by the US contraction, potentially leading to an increase in global beef prices and the redistribution of trade volumes. Although the impact of slowing economic conditions and waning consumer confidence around the world may also soften global demand, it notes.

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Farmers fear forestry threat as ‘phenomenal’ change keeps coming

Farmers reeling from the pace of change fear forestry could cut a swathe through rural communities.

King Country sheep and beef farmer Natasha Cave says the latest Government proposal for farm greenhouse gas levies is another nail in the coffin, and she worries about the stress on her community.

The prime farming area around Aria is already dealing with the aftermath of a severe drought, Covid disruption to meatworks and rising interest rates. Locals are concerned that pine forestry, in a boom fuelled by the Emissions Trading Scheme, will take over tracts of land.

Cave wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern almost a year ago describing a “never-ending deluge of regulation, paperwork and more costs that keep coming at us at a phenomenal rate of knots”.

In the letter, she also said it was “soul destroying” that a farm in the area had been sold to trees for carbon.

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Pig farmers concerned banks won’t finance expensive upgrades for new animal welfare standards

Pig farmers are concerned banks won’t finance costly pig housing upgrades to meet proposed animal welfare standards.

The pig industry was at odds with the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (Nawac) about a draft welfare code for pigs that proposed larger housing for pigs.

Nawac had proposed changes to the use of farrowing crates, where sows were kept before, during and after giving birth. It also proposed changes to the size of grower pig housing.

NZ Pork chief executive Brent Kleiss said the average pig farm faced upgrade costs of about $2m.

Larger farms faced costs of up to $20 million, he said.

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Australia

Cotton interest limits sorghum area as planting advances

FLOODING and later-than-average paddock preparation have delayed sorghum planting in most areas, with southern Queensland growers leading New South Wales on progress to date.

Attractive prices and strong water availability has meant that cotton is competing with sorghum for area.

However, at this stage, sorghum hectares are still expected to reach average levels.

If rain falls at the optimum times, there could also be an opportunity for late-planted or double-cropped sorghum in northern NSW and southern Queensland, that could work to bump up the final tonnage.

Southern Queensland advanced

Planting of the early sorghum is progressing well in the Darling and Eastern Downs, according to AgForce Grains president and Warra grower Brendan Taylor.

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New help for WA grain growers to cut emissions

WESTERN Australian grain growers now have access to valuable, industry-specific data to help calculate on-farm greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and confidently assess their enterprise’s on-farm carbon footprint.

The data was captured by the Carbon Neutral Grain Pilot Project, a collaboration between the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), Co-operative Bulk Handling Group (CBH Group) and Wide Open Agriculture.

In 2020-21 the project collected GHG emissions from 36 cropping enterprises throughout the Wheatbelt that grew wheat, barley, canola, oats and lupins – comprising 152,000 hectares and a total of 417,000 tonnes of grain.

DPIRD senior development officer Mandy Curnow said the data would assist growers to understand the likely emissions from their enterprise to help measure and adapt their operations to meet market demands and build more sustainable businesses.

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Canola grades open to capture mouldy seed

THE Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF) has responded to industry queries regarding impacts of the wet season on canola quality in New South Wales and Victoria, and established two segregations with a tolerance for mouldy seed.

The seasonal standard of CSO1 (S) and CSO1a (S) both accept deliveries with the appearance of mould at 40 seeds per 1000, compared with the benchmark CSO1 and CSO1a grades which have maximum tolerance at 5 seeds per 1000.

Following yesterday’s announcement, segregations are live as of today.

In a statement, AOF executive officer Nick Goddard said the new segregations have come about following consultation with domestic crushers, exporters and bulk handlers to ascertain the extent of the quality impacts, and to assess options for dealing with weather-impacted canola.

Read mpore here…

Floods in Australia threaten wheat supply for bread and noodles

SYDNEY – Flooding in eastern Australia is hurting the quality of the wheat harvest in one of the world’s biggest exporters, worsening a global shortage of the high-grade variety used to make bread and ramen noodles.

That is going to put a damper on the international wheat market which was counting on a bumper harvest from Australia to ease tight inventories and cool food costs.

While the crop is still likely to be a large one, torrential downpours and floods could turn an unusually hefty chunk of the harvest into grain fit only for animal feed, and reduce the quantity that is suitable for milling into flour.

The quality worries are evident in the widening premium for eastern milling wheat over the feed variety, which hit a record high this month.

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South America

With Argentine wheat crop failing, Brazil appeals to Russian grain, but it has its problems

A severe drought, followed by several episodes of frost, is expected to reduce Argentine wheat harvest by 40% from initial estimates to around 11/12 million tons, which is expected to have an impact on the Mercosur partner Brazil.

Brazil traditionally purchases some 6 million tons of high quality wheat from its neighbor in the south, but market analysts are now anticipating that Brazilian mills, especially those in the Northeast, will need to resort to other suppliers, such as Russia, the US or EU.

Although forecasts pointed to an increase in Brazilian imports from other countries as early as May 2023, some mills in the Northeast have already taken action by purchasing wheat from Russia. Some seven vessels with Russian grains are expected in the coming months.

“The crop failure has already caused the price of Argentine wheat to rise at an unusually unfavorable time, close to the harvest. Thus, mills in the Northeast started to buy Russian grain, which is cheaper,” says Christian Saigh, vice president of the Wheat Industry Union of São Paulo (Sindustrigo).

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Brazilian agriculture record sales; China main client, soy and beef leading exports

Brazilian agribusiness exports reached a record of US$ 136.10 billion in the first ten months of 2022, which represents a 33.0% increase in value over the same period in 2021, according to the country’s official foreign trade office. China remained as the leading destination for Brazilian commodities, purchasing US$ 45.28 billion, equivalent to 33.3% of total exports Brazilian agriculture.

In percentage terms, Chinese participation in Brazilian exports fell slightly in the first ten months of this year, compared to 36.3% in the same period last year. Despite this, revenue from shipments to the Chinese market far exceeded the total value of exports to the group of the ten major destination countries for Brazilian agricultural products.

According to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture, the increase in sales of soybeans was the main driving force for the historical record in exports to China, which had a growth of 21.8% in the period.

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Uruguay will be able to export sorghum to China for human and animal consumption

The head of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Fernando Mattos, signed November 22, with the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Gang, the protocol of phytosanitary requirements for the export of sorghum from Uruguay to China, which enables the sale of that grain.

“It is a very important step for Uruguayan agriculture, consolidating exports to the world’s largest importer of this product,” the minister emphasized.

Mattos was accompanied at the conference held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP), the general director of Agricultural Services of the organization, Leonardo Olivera; the head of International Affairs, Adriana Lupinacci, and the representative of Bilateral Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rafael Villamor.

The Secretary of State expressed that the agreed protocol will allow the diversification of sorghum production in Uruguay because it is a product that can be grown in different areas of the country. He added that the grain will be exported for animal and human consumption.

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Food Updates

What direction is plant-based foods moving?

According to the Intelligence Brief from Chicago-based firm PreScouter, the demand for plant-based foods is still climbing and should reach $15.6 billion by the end of 2026.

Covid has been a key accelerator for the category, fuelling a demand for healthier foods. With many perceiving plant-based to be a ‘good-for-you’ choice, the pandemic saw the global market CAGR for plant-base rise from 14.1 to 17.4 percent between 2018 and 2021. In fact, all segments of plant-based (from meat alternatives to drinks) witnessed an uptick, with tofu and tempeh being the only exceptions.

In the US, 57 percent of US consumers say they are actively purchasing plant-based proteins due to perceived health benefits and 42 percent claim it’s because these alternative proteins taste good. This is an interesting finding, considering texture and taste to have previously been regarded as two limitations to plant-based adoption.

Read more here

Drinking coffee has health benefits

According to a survey, the majority of European dietitians believe that moderate coffee consumption has health benefits.A report has revealed that 62 percent of European dietitians believe drinking coffee in moderation has health benefits.

The study was carried out by the European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians (EFAD) and was supported by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC).

The popularity of coffee

Coffee is a beverage prepared from roasted beans and is one of the three most popular drinks in the world. The drink contains caffeine which is natural stimulant that increases activity in the brain and nervous system.

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Independent food and beverage sector seeks Government support

Food from England has called on the Government in a letter to support England’s independent food and drink sector amid cost-of-living crisis.

Food From England (FFE), a national platform made up of 26 food and beverage organisations, has issued an urgent letter to Rishi Sunak, the UK’s Prime Minister, and all UK MP’s seeking support for the sector in relation to the cost-of-living crisis.

New Food recently reported that up to a third of hospitality businesses could go bust by 2023 due to the economic difficulties relating to the cost-of-living crisis. What’s more, in October 2022, food inflation hit a 45 year high in the UK, resulting in a variety of challenges for the sector.

Hoping to act as the voice for over 43,000 local growers, producers, retailers and hospitality businesses in the food and beverage industry, FFE has urged the Government to take action in the following areas:

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Meat is not as bad for you after all, new study shows

Eating meat is not as bad for your health as previously thought, new research shows.

The study, published in Nature and approved by the University of Washington in the United States, revisited decades of research and showed the evidence that eating unprocessed red meat lead to colorectal cancer, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes and ischemic heart disease, was weak.

It also found no association between eating unprocessed red meat and ischemic stroke or haemorrhagic stroke.

Previous studies had drawn direct links between eating meat and those diseases and conditions, and had led organisations like the World Health Organisation, the World Cancer Research Fund and the EAT-Lancet Commission to recommend limiting red meat intake.

Read more here…

USA and Canada

Plant-based food advocates tout sector’s potential

Reports of the death of the plant-based protein industry were grossly exaggerated, according to industry proponents.

Major U.S. newspapers have reported that the 10-year plant-based protein fad is over, pointing to ominous signals such as the 80 percent plunge in Beyond Meat’s share price and meat giant JBS terminating its Planterra business.

Murad Al-Katib, president of AGT Food and Ingredients, said reporters are mistakenly drawing conclusions on the long-term viability of an industry based on a “snapshot” of one segment of that industry.

“First of all, there was never a fad here,” he told delegates attending the Plant Forward conference hosted by Protein Industries Canada, Pulse Canada and Plant-Based Foods of Canada.

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Black Sea Grain Initiative Extended: What Does it Mean for U.S. Exports?

Grain exports will continue to flow out of the Black Sea region, according to news from United National Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday that a deal was reached. The U.N. helped to broker the original agreement along with Turkey, which was due to run out this weekend. The U.N. reports more than 11 million tons of ag product has been moved from the region adding up to more than 520 shipments.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative has been extended for 120 days from Nov. 18, without any changes. The deal will facilitate safe navigation for Ukrainian exports of grain, foodstuffs and fertilizers from Black Sea ports to continue.

The deal is bearish for U.S. corn and wheat exports, which are already lagging. Ukrainian corn and wheat prices are being offered at substantially lower prices than the U.S. making us less competitive in the global market.

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Off-color soybeans prompt USDA to take comments on changing standards

WASHINGTON — With an increase in off-color soybeans , the U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin taking comments on possible changes to the grading standards for soybeans.

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service on Nov. 8 announced that the Federal Grain and Inspection Service will publish a proposed rule seeking public comment on a proposal to change the U.S. standards for soybeans to address “Soybeans of Other Colors” or SBOC.

Agricultural Marketing Service will publish this proposed rule on the Federal Register and will take comments at that time. It has not said when the comment period will open.

Under the authority of federal law, USDA established the soybean standards to help in the marketing of soybeans. Color has served as a grading factor for determining soybean quality. The Federal Grain and Inspection Service said color could be considered an informational factor that does not impact soybean grade determinations.

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Canadian canola remains strong as international exports increase

Southern Alberta farmer Joseph McKee said his canola did alright but the dry spring and hot summer did take a toll on crops.

“The canola took that heat spell, that heat wave pretty tough and so the crops looked really good but final yields were a little bit off from what we were hoping for,” added McKee.

Ian Chitwood with the Alberta Canola Producers Commission said that was the general feedback from producers across the province. However, strong demand for canola has kept the price high.

He said five years ago, growers were getting $15 to $16 a bushel, then it peaked earlier this year around $23 a bushel. But the cost of diesel fuel, fertilizer, herbicides and equipment has skyrocketed, cutting into profits.

“Canola is a very high input crop, it requires a lot of nitrogen, and it requires a lot of care. So despite good prices, we are being squeezed,” said Chitwood.

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Canada relinquishes pea crown

Canada has lost its long-standing status as the world’s biggest pea producer.

Russia harvested a record 4.3 million tonnes of the crop in 2022, according to a recent Global Pulse Confederation (GPC) article. That tops Canada’s estimated production of 3.59 million tonnes.

Marlene Boersch, managing partner of Mercantile Consulting Venture, said the report of a record Russian pea crop makes sense given that wheat yields in that country were unprecedented.

She believes Russia likely produced more peas than Canada last year as well due to Canada’s drought.

“Our salvation so far has been that they use a lot of it domestically for feed,” said Boersch.

But Russia’s exports have been rising, according to Rustam Guliev, a commodity trader with Top Grain, a Russian grain exporting firm. He told GPC the country shipped 1.4 million tonnes of peas in 2021-22, a 65 percent increase over the previous year.

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New Zealand

Fears milk from hemp-fed cows could make people drowsy

Cows appear to get stoned and produce milk which could make people sleepy after eating hemp feed, a new study suggests.

The recent legalisation of cannabis in many countries, and US states, has triggered a booming industry of hemp (cannabis sativa) products and byproducts, including animal feeds.

But there has been little research to find whether the animals experience unwelcome physiological effects, and whether any of the psychoactive properties of cannabis could be passed on to humans.

To find out, researchers at the German Federal Institute of Risk Assessment gave cannabinoid-rich industrial hemp silage to 10 dairy cows. Germany is in the process of legalising the cultivation and possession of cannabis.

They discovered that animals showed significant behavioural changes, including increased yawning, salivation, tongue play and unsteady movements.

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Why are corporate agriculture profits so high while farmers and consumers feel the pinch?

Farmers are feeling record cost pressures to grow food, and consumers are paying more for food than ever, but why do food and agriculture export companies continue to make large profits?

Earlier this year Stats NZ said farm expenses were at the highest level since records began in 1993.

Food prices increased by their largest jump in 14 years in October, up 10.1% year-on-year, Stats NZ data showed. Fruit and vegetables alone were up 17%.

But companies keep making profits despite, their farmer suppliers facing extreme costs and consumers pressed from all sides.

Here’s a look at some of the biggest food exporters and some of the reasons they continue to do so well, despite domestic pressures.

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Summer will bring cheaper vegetables, grower promises

The cost of vegetables and leafy greens is set to come down as the summer months bring better growing conditions on farms, one grower says.

Leaderbrand chief executive Richard Burke said, as the weather improved, there was more volume of vegetables being grown that could be sold at lower prices.

Leaderbrand grows broccoli, lettuce, sweetcorn, squash, and leafy greens that are used to make things like packaged salads.

Burke said there had been a lot of talk lately about food prices driving inflation, and fresh produce being a big part of that.

Food prices increased by their largest jump in 14 years in October, up 10.1% year-on-year, Stats NZ data showed. Fruit and vegetables were up 17%

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Guy Trafford looks at the varying prospects in the dairy and sheep & beef sectors, watching price signals diverge

The pricing signals coming back to farmers is a ‘tale of two sectors’. The latest GDT dairy result has, finally, turned around the ongoing falls that had afflicted products. But the rumours that lamb would stay at $9.0 per kg up until Christmas have been well and truly put to bed.

Firstly, the GDT auction results lifted by 2.4%; Westpac are giving credit for the lift to the fact that China are beginning to lift the restraints placed around their society and in particular the loosing of post travel covid quarantine times.

Personally, I think it is a bit premature to lay too much of the lift on this, as while travellers arriving in China will spend less time in quarantine under changes to sweeping anti-virus controls announced Friday to reduce disruptions to the economy and society, the announcement came as an upsurge in COVID-19 cases prompted Beijing to close parks and impose other restrictions. The country reported 10,729 new cases, and more than 5 million people were confined to their homes in the southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou and the western megacity of Chongqing.

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Australia

Pulse Update: Rain delays stymie volume trade

UNCERTAINTY about the timing of southern Australia’s pulse harvest is keeping volume trade to a minimum, with growers wary about overcommitting on volume and quality, and traders following suit.

While Queensland’s chickpea harvest is well advanced, harvest of pulses in all states is running at least two weeks late due to unusually mild weather and successive rain events.

In later crops, rain is still building yield, as well as creating some management challenges for growers needing to continue fungicide applications to keep disease at bay in universally damp conditions.

Australia is one of the world’s biggest exporters of chickpeas, faba beans, lentils and lupins, and markets are waiting for a clearer picture on what volume and quality will be exported, and when.

AGT Foods Australia senior trader Mitchell Elks said importer interest was abnormally subdued for this time of year.

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GrainCorp intake hits 1.7Mt after mostly fine week

HARVEST in eastern Australia has gathered pace in recent days amid some fine weather, where deliveries into the GrainCorp network have jumped from 1.1 million tonnes (Mt) as of Wednesday last week to 1.7Mt today.

In its second Harvest Update for 2022-23, eastern Australia’s biggest bulk handler by far said Central Queensland (CQ) growers were enjoying the biggest yields they have seen in more than a decade.

GrainCorp’s CQ sites have now received more 500,000t of grain, and are starting to shut to outload grain to create more capacity.

Also in Queensland, GrainCorp has reported good progress in its Goondiwindi and Western Downs clusters last week with improved weather.

Northern New South Wales sites across the Moree, Burren Junction and Narrabri regions have ramped up after favourable weather last week.

Read more here …

NSW growers prepare for late, wet harvest

NEW South Wales growers are feeling the pinch of widespread flooding and ongoing rain, with wet conditions downgrading grain quality, prolonging harvest and in worst cases, completely wiping out crops.

Despite significant, untimely rain throughout October and early November, most growers are still preparing to harvest crops in the coming weeks, much later than usual.

However, logistical issues such as road closures, access to storage, washouts, wet paddocks and damaged infrastructure are expected to make this harvest a difficult one.

AMPS agronomist Tony Lockrey said in the Moree district, growers with good drainage or sloped country would still be able to harvest 90 per cent of their crops this harvest, despite the significant amount of rain during October.

“Growers east of the Newell Highway will still be able to harvest most of their crop but they’ll be tip-toeing through it,” Mr Lockrey said.

Read mpore here…

Rain slows WA as receivals hit 3.9Mt: CBH

SEVERAL rainfall events have slowed the rate of harvest deliveries to Western Australian bulk handler CBH Group, with the company receiving 1.4 million tonnes (Mt) in the week ending November 20.

This brings the total deliveries to 3.9Mt, compared with 4.7Mt received this time last year.

CBH Group chief operations officer Mick Daw said rainfall events throughout most of the state over the past week had halted harvest in some areas.

“We have again had considerable rainfall across most of the state, with some areas throughout the central wheatbelt also reporting hail and loss of crop,” Mr Daw said.

“Despite this slow and frustrating start to the harvest period for both growers and our operations team, some of our sites have still managed to break daily receival records.

Read more here…

South America

Argentina expected wheat production down drastically because of drought

The 2022/23 wheat harvest forecast in Argentina has been cut to 11.8 million tons, down from 13.7 million tons previously, the Rosario grains exchange said in its latest report, warning it could fall further amid a protracted drought that is causing great losses for farmers and foreign currency short Argentina.

Argentina is a major wheat exporter, but the current campaign is expected to be the worst in the last seven years.

“The current scenario that Argentine wheat is going through is one of enormous uncertainty, and there may continue to be further cuts,” the Rosario exchange warned.

The institution said its calculations took into account 5.9 million hectares planted with wheat and an area loss of 830,000 hectares.

If the situation persists it could be catastrophic for Argentine wheat production since on average good years the country harvests some 22 to 24 million tons, with an ample surplus to export.

Read more here…

Brazilian 2022 exports of soybean estimated to reach 78 million tons, and corn some 40 million tons

Brazil’s soybean exports are expected to reach 78 million tons this year, 9.3% down from 86.3 million tons in 2021, according to the grain exporters’ association Anec. But the figure is 2.5 million tons higher than the previous 75.5 million tons estimate for full-year soybean shipments.

Despite Brazil remaining as the world’s leading exporter of the oilseed, soybean shipments in November have been lowered to 2.3 million tons from the previous 2.4 million tons forecast. Still, the volume is 8.8% above the 2.1 million tons reached during the same month last year.

If exports come in as forecast, Brazil’s shipments will end November at 76.8 million tons behind 2021’s 86.6 million tons, concluded the ANEC soybean report.

November soy meal export projections have also increased and are now forecast at 1.5 million tons. The figure is 27.2% higher than last year’s 1.2 million tons exported in the same month.

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Impact of Weekend Rains on Chilean Fruit Crops Estimated Minimal

Last weekend, Saturday, Nov. 12 and Sunday, Nov. 13, central and southern regions of Chile were hit by rains, with the affected area stretching from Valparaíso to Los Lagos. Hail even fell in some areas in O’Higgins region.

According to data released by the Fruit Development Foundation (FDF) of Chile, during Nov. 12 to 13, central regions Valparaíso and Metropolitana recorded less than 4mm of rainfall, which indicates a light rain, while O’Higgins and Maule regions saw levels above 10mm (maximum 16.1mm and 19.6mm, respectively) which is generally considered a moderate rain. Southern regions registered heavy rain with a higher accumulated rainfall: Bio Bío accumulated up to 28.6mm, Araucanía up to 20.6mm and Los Ríos at least 19mm. The highest level of precipitation was observed in Ñuble region, reaching 35.1mm.

The president of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX), Iván Marambio, and the head of the Federation of Fruit Producers of Chile (Fedefruta), Jorge Valenzuela, announced that the potential impact on the crops is estimated as minimal.

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Food Updates

UK food inflation continues to break records at 45-year high

Food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation has increased by 16.4 percent in the last 12 months, affecting the price of milk, cheese and eggs as well as branded products.

 

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), UK food and non-alcoholic beverage price inflation has increased by 16.4 percent in the 12 months leading up to October 2022, marking a 45 year high.The report reveals that the annual rate of inflation for the food and beverage (non-alcoholic) category has continued to rise for the last 15 consecutive months, from -0.6 percent in July 2021. The current rate is estimated to be the highest since September 1977.

Labelling the increases as a “worrying upward trend”, Karen Betts, the Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF) Chief Executive, said: “Manufacturers continue to do what they can to contain price rises for shoppers, and we are very conscious of their impact on low income households in particular.

 

Read more here

Can GMOs and clean label co-exist?

Population dynamics, land availability, and climate change are all variables in our complex and interdependent global agriculture industry. It is expected that the world’s population will grow to almost 10 billion by 2050, leading to an increase in agricultural demand by roughly 50 percent compared to a decade ago.Genetic modification/bioengineering has long been touted as a solution for a sustainable global food supply. At the same time, an increasingly educated, sceptical and cynical consumer base is challenging that premise and demanding transparency.

According to Mordor Intelligence, the global clean label ingredients market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.75 percent, during the forecast period (2021-2026). The Mordor Intelligence report acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant effect on the clean label ingredient market. The buying behaviour of consumers changed; they have become even more cautious about their food and are eating healthier than usual. All the while, the global food industry continues to be dealing with current realities of inflationary pressures and supply chain constraints.

Read more here…

Making plant-based work for pastry chefs

Crafting the perfect pastry is a delicate artform dating back centuries. It’s believed that the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans created honey cakes, dumplings and more with a basic filo-like pastry. Traditionally, pastry has been made with animal derived products, but fast forward to today and more and more modern consumers are turning to plant-based options – so what does this mean for pastry chefs who now have to alter their ingredients?

Plant-based butters have been on the supermarket shelves for a few years now, with options for consumers becoming more diverse, but for pastry chefs, Marike van Beurden, Co-founder of Be Better My Friend (BBMF), says choice has been limited…until now.

The Dutch-based company, which was set up by chef Beurden, alongside food scientist Pere Castells and global food strategist Joost Lindeman, claims to be the world’s first 100 percent plant-based butter dedicated to pastry chefs.

Read more here…

FDA releases powdered infant formula safety strategy

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released an outline of a prevention strategy that is under development to prevent Cronobacter sakazakii illnesses linked with the consumption of powdered infant formula.

What is Cronobacter sakazakii?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cronobacter sakazakii is a germ that is found naturally in the environment, but it can live in dry foods such as powdered infant formula, powdered milk and herbal teas.

Although the CDC has said that illnesses relating to Cronobacter sakazakii are infrequent, it has noted that when they do occur, they can be deadly in infants.

Read more here…

USA and Canada

U.S. raises estimates for corn, soybean yields and inventories

CHICAGO, Nov 9 (Reuters) – U.S. corn and soybean inventories will be bigger than previously thought as yields of both crops increased from earlier estimates, the government said on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

Bigger-than-expected harvests give a slight boost to U.S. supplies at a time global grain inventories are low following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. U.S. corn stocks will remain at a 10-year-low after dry weather hurt production

“Typically small crops get smaller but USDA went the other way and took the yield up on corn and soybeans,” said Don Roose, president of brokerage U.S. Commodities in Iowa. “Some of it was probably a good end to the harvest so field loss was probably less.”

Corn and soybean futures were weak at the Chicago Board of Trade.

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U.S. hard red spring wheat farmers produce good, marketable crop, but export demand is lackluster

MINOT, N.D. — The 2022 hard red spring crop yielded well, was disease free and, overall, will be a good crop to market, said Erica Olson, North Dakota Wheat Commission market developer and researcher manager.

Olson gave an overview of 2022 hard, red spring wheat production at the Crop Outlook and International Durum Forum annual meeting held Nov. 2-3 in Minot, N.D.

The number of hard red spring wheat acres planted in the northern Plains and Montana in 2022 decreased by 5% because of cold, wet weather conditions in the spring, but the number of harvested acres increased by 2% over 2021, Olson said. In 2021, hard, red, spring wheat farmers in drought areas abandoned drought-impacted acreage because they didn’t believe it was worth harvesting the crop, she said.

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Crop damaging pests, disease and weed found in northeast North Dakota in 2022

LANGDON, N.D. — Diseases, an insect and a weed, all which have the potential to cause severe crop losses showed up — some for the first time — in northeast North Dakota fields during the 2022 growing season.

Hessian fly, an insect, was found in Cavalier County wheat fields, there was a waterhemp infestation in a field in Cavalier County, Verticillium wilt was suspected in fields in Cavalier, Pembina and Rolette counties, and sudden death syndrome, a fungus, was confirmed in Cavalier County soybean fields.

Sudden death syndrome, caused by the fusarium fungus, is a soilborne disease that once is in the soil, stays there, said Anitha Chirumamilla, Langdon Research Extension Center cropping systems specialist.

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Beyond sustainability on the farm

Sustainability has been a hot topic in agriculture for years, but at GFL Ag, we see beyond that. Growers are not only trying to sustain the farming activities on their farms, but to improve the land and resources available to ensure the farm’s longevity. New and innovative agricultural practices and products are needed to pave the way forward.

Generations of agricultural families have instilled the value of making the most of what’s available to you – whether that be seed, crop inputs or livestock feed. In the creation of our product Bio-Sul Premium Plus, we use two readily available ingredients (compost and elemental sulphur) with limited applications to make an effective and affordable crop input for growers.

In 2019, 87 per cent of Canadians with access to municipal composting or organics collection programs used them – contributing to the 3.48 million tonnes of organic matter processed by composting facilities in the same year. But where does the compost go after it’s been processed? The final product is sold to farms, grocery stores, garden centres and companies like GFL Ag.

Read more…

Chronic labour shortages in agriculture are putting Canada’s food security at risk

TORONTO — Nov. 8, 2022: Labour shortages have been negatively impacting Canadian agri-businesses, with nearly three quarters (74%) of agri-business owners working more hours to make up for the lack of staff, according to a new report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). Nearly half (48%) of agri-businesses have had to turn down sales or contracts due to labour shortages, while 41% have had to decrease service offerings.

To ensure the future of the industry, CFIB is urging policymakers to address chronic labour shortages in agriculture by focusing on the underlying issues exacerbating the problem.

“We need policies that will support our farmers and agri-businesses to ensure the agriculture sector is competitive and productive and the current shortages of labour are prioritized. In a recent survey we found that almost two thirds (61%) of agri-business owners turned to their existing employees to work more hours due to lack of staff,” said Jasmin Guenette, vice-president of national affairs at CFIB.

Read More …

New Zealand

Did the Government get agricultural emissions levy plan right?

The anger in the animal farming community about the proposed agricultural emissions levy is understandable.

No business is happy about a new fee that they will have to pay, at least not on this planet. Add to this weather disasters, new freshwater regulations, high fuel prices; there is a lot on their shoulders at the moment.

So, was the process to develop the levy something the Government did right?

Let’s step back and look at how this all happened.

The 2019 Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act specifies a 10% reduction in biologic methane emissions by 2030, to meet the nation’s 2015 commitment to the Paris Agreement.

Read More here...

Global prices for NZ food exports are coming down, but no relief for local shoppers

Global prices for New Zealand dairy and meat are coming back to more normal levels after soaring during the pandemic but shoppers here may not see the full benefit for awhile due to the lower currency.

After their bumper run over the past 18 months, global commodity prices in US dollar terms have pulled back to more normal levels, mostly due to weaker demand from China, according to ASB’s weekly commodity report.

ASB’s US dollar Commodity Price Index is now at its lowest level in about 21 months, and is sitting only about 4% above its long-run average. That’s in contrast to its peak earlier in the year, when prices in US dollar terms were 25% to 30% above normal levels.

But a decline in the New Zealand dollar is holding up prices for local exporters.

Read More here…

Shipping woes push up prices in shops, as ships queue to offload at our main ports

Woolston residents were horrified when towering stacks of shipping containers appeared mid-year on previously bare industrial land and disrupted their views of Christchurch’s Port Hills.

The thousands of mostly empty steel “boxes” stored at the Portlink freight depot are evidence of Covid-related bottlenecks at our ports, and although container mountains are diminishing as port delays ease a little, New Zealand’s shipping woes are far from over.

Vessels are still anchored out at sea for days waiting to berth, and while most Christmas stock will be here in time, prices paid by customers will reflect the higher cost of getting it here.

Capacity on international vessels is still nowhere near pre-pandemic levels, and shortages of truck drivers and stevedores are adding to slow turn around times.

Read More here…

Guy Trafford takes an overview look at where global populations are heading, and how we will feed them in the future. He checks out New Zealand’s role in that food supply

One of the things that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has highlighted is the relatively fine balance the global food supply walks.

Both countries are major grain producers which is arguably the most important of the feed staples for people and spills over to animals. Much of the most urgent requirements for the grain has been to the African continent.

It got me thinking as to where the biggest growth in population is going to occur in the decades ahead and how secure would be food production.

Up until February 24th this year climate would have been seen as the major food security threat, but Putin altered that at least temporarily however, once the Ukraine issues are resolved and the region gets back to some sort of equilibrium, climate will yet again achieve more prominence.

Read More here…

Australia

Delayed harvest pushes WA closer to 24Mt record: GIWA

A DELAYED start to harvest is fueling another likely record tonnage for Western Australian growers with a total over the record 24 million tonnes (Mt) looking increasing likely, according to the Grain Industry of Western Australia’s (GIWA) November Crop Report released today.

The later-than-normal start to harvest has been due mainly to the very cool mild conditions in spring, continuing right up until now.

While this is frustrating for some growers wanting to get their crop off, it has fueled the extra tonnes that will likely see this harvest exceed 2021’s record production.

The mild finish to the season, and rain in late August and early September, have combined to finish off a near-perfect season across all grain-growing regions of the state.

Rainfall in the central and southern half of the state over the past two weeks has further slowed the start of harvest and is now beginning to cause trouble with lodging, head loss and expected downgrades in quality if the rain persists.

Read more here

WASDE lifts Aus wheat, barley forecasts

INCREASES for forecast Australian wheat and barley exports and cuts for Argentina are among the headliners in USDA’s November World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report released on Friday.

For Australian wheat, USDA now sees 2022-23 production at 34.5 million tonnes (Mt), up 1.5Mt from the October estimate, and exports are now seen as 27Mt, up 1Mt over the month.

WASDE cites above-average rain in Australia over the past month as supportive of crop development and boosting yields following widespread favourable conditions earlier in the growing season.

Conversely, the estimate for Argentina’s wheat crop has been cut in response to continued widespread dry conditions through most of October which have further eroded yield potential, especially in northern areas.

Read more here …

AOF pegs canola at record 6.75Mt

THE Australian Oilseeds Federation is forecasting Australia’s 2022-23 crop at 6.75 million tonnes (Mt), to break the record set in 2021-22 of 6.33Mt.

In its October crop report released on Friday, the AOF forecast for a record figure comes despite very wet conditions in New South Wales and Victoria.

These add increased uncertainty to the forecast as crops have generally withstood the wet conditions of recent months fairly well, but the ability to access paddocks for windrowing or harvesting will be limited in many cases.

Crop conditions in South and Western Australia are very good and high yields are expected, with both states expecting to deliver all-time record canola crops.

With the exception of WA, all canola-growing regions had a very wet October with decile 10-plus rainfall. In contrast, conditions in WA were near perfect, allowing crops to reach maturity with solid moisture stores, limited rainfall, and cooler-than-average temperatures.

Read mpore here…

Australia exports record 27.6Mt wheat in yr to Sep 30

AUSTRALIA exported 27.6 million tonnes (Mt) of wheat in the year to 30 September 2022, with China its biggest market by far as the destination for 6Mt, or 22 per cent, of the total.

Indonesia on 3.8Mt was the next biggest market, followed by Vietnam on 3Mt and The Philippines on 2.8Mt.

The figures have been compiled from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data, with September figures released last week.

They show 2021-22 as Australia’s biggest year for wheat exports ever, ahead of 24.6Mt shipped in 2011-12, and 24.3Mt in 2020-21.

IKON Commodities CEO Ole Houe said the China figure was notable.

Read more here…

Australia exports 5.4Mt canola in year to Sep 30

AUSTRALIA exported a record 5.4 million tonnes (Mt) of canola in 2021-22 (Oct-Sep), according to data compiled from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data.

This is more than 50 per cent above the previous record seen by ABARES at 3.512Mt and set in 2012-13, with 2020-21 on 3.496Mt and 2016-17Mt on 3.458Mt not far behind.

The 2021-22 figure includes September data released earlier this month, with Belgium on 63,350t the biggest market, followed by the United Arab Emirates on 61,408 and Japan a distant third on 35,434t.

Total canola exports for September at 176,695t were up 17pc from 151,556t shipped in August.

In the year to September 30, Germany on 1.18Mt, Belgium on 1.11Mt, France on 702,353t and Japan on 661,859t were the four biggest customers.

Read more here…

South America

Exports of Chilean fruit looking at bright future ahead

Chile’s Federation of Fruit Producers of Chile (Fedefruta) has reported exports this season could be “very good for everyone,” thanks to favorable weather, it was reported Wednesday.

“This year we see more fruit in the field, there is a strong increase, and it can be a very good season for everyone,” Fedefruta President Jorge Valenzuela was quoted by Xinhua as saying during a visit Tuesday at Santiago’s International Arturo Merino Benítez Airport cargo terminal.

“We can be optimistic” about shipping fruit exports by air “because this season the logistics conditions” have improved after the COVID-19 pandemic, Valenzuela explained while highlighting the existing “coordination between terminals, operators, and the Agricultural and Livestock Service.”

Santiago’s airport logistics can handle around 600 tons of perishable products per day, it was explained. Fedefruta also pointed out that around 70% of the flights with this type of export are passenger aircraft, while the rest are freighters, which can carry four or five times more cargo.

Read more here…

Slower Chinese demand impacts on Brazilian soybeans sales and beef prices

The Chinese economy is slowing down, the Yuan is weaker against the US dollar and Beijing is insisting with complete lockdowns in many cities because of Covid 19 or respiratory diseases, reducing considerably activity and consumption.

Soybeans imports fell 19% in October from a year earlier to 4.14 million tons, Customs 0data showed in China, representing their lowest for any month since 2014, after buyers cut purchases amid high global prices and poor crush margins.

Imports by the world’s top buyer of the oilseed were 73.18 million tons for the first 10 months of the year, down 7.4% from last year, data from the General Administration of Customs showed. The very low shipments, matching the October 2014 figure of 4.1 million tons, underline an urgent need to rebuild stockpiles.

“Crush margins have been bad most of this year which has weighed on imports,” said Darin Friedrichs, co-founder of Shanghai-based consultancy Sitonia Consulting. Global soybean prices hit a decade-high in June as bad weather cut production in Brazil, China’s top supplier.

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Brazil expands agricultural storage capacity by 3%

RIO DE JANEIRO. KAZINFORM Brazil´s agricultural storage capacity reached 188.8 million tons in the first half of the year, a 3 percent growth compared to the second half of 2021. The data was released this week by the government´s statistic agency IBGE.

In the first half of this year, there were 8,378 establishments for the storage of agricultural products in the country. This number represents a growth of 2.2 percent in relation to the existing storage capacity in the second half of 2021, the survey reads, Agencia Brasil reports.

Silos predominate in Brazil, with a capacity of 96.1 million tons, followed by grain warehouses, with 70 million tons, and conventional, structural, and inflatable warehouses, with 22.6 million tons.

Among the Brazilian states, Rio Grande do Sul has the largest number of establishments (2,183), while Mato Grosso has the largest storage capacity (46.9 million tons).

Read more here

Uruguay Farmers Fend Off Droughts With Soy Technology, CEO Says

Farmers in Uruguay, which is emerging as a supplier of soybeans to giant export plants in neighboring Argentina, are withstanding climate change through investments in technology to fight droughts.

The harvest next year could reach about 3 million metric tons despite forecasts of dry weather in the River Plate region until January. That’d be only slightly lower than the 2022 crop, which benefited from timely rains, according to Montevideo-based consultancy firm Exante.

With climate change roiling farming and withering crops across South America, Uruguayan growers have embraced technology to beat the weather. In particular, they’ve invested heavily in hardier soy strains that bolster yields and in more precise applications of seeds and fertilizer, Marcos Guigou, executive director at Agronegocios del Plata, one of Uruguay’s biggest agriculture companies, said in an interview.

Read more here

Food Updates

What do US consumers want from quick service food?

A US study has revealed that women favour variety, while men place more value on staff behaviour when it comes to quick service food.

According to a new study, males and females have different expectations when it comes to quick service food (QSF).

Carried out by Clootrack, the study entitled ‘Data-Driven Customer Experience Insights from the QSR Industry’, analysed 127,990 customer reviews spanning across 19 leading brands. The data was taken from July 2021 to July 2022 and focused on trends and preferences.

Brands included in the analysis were McDonald’s, Dominos, Pizza Hut, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Subway, Jack in the Box, Little Ceasars, Burger King, Sonic Drive-In, Papa John’s, Panda Express, Panera Bread, Whataburger, Arby’s, Noodles & Co, Sweetgreen, Chop’t, and Saladworks.

Read more here

PepsiCo UK’s innovations to save over 1,200 tonnes of emissions

New green initiatives have been launched by PepsiCo UK which are set to omit 1,200 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chain annually.PepsiCo UK has announced a series of strategic innovations that the company hopes will allow for a 1,200-tonne reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) annually across its supply chain once fully rolled out.

With sustainability in mind, the company has stated that it has doubled its climate change goal and is pledging to reach its net-zero emissions target by 2040.

Vegetable oil to fuel trucks

Following the introduction of PepsiCo UK’s innovations, more than one million miles of truck journeys in the UK will be powered using cooking oil starting November 2022.

Read more here…

The butterfly effect: making sustainable wines that are an affordable luxury

Integrated Beverage Group’s (IBG) core mission is to change wine, and through a vigour for sustainability and transparency, it takes a novel approach to manufacturing.

Based in Dundee, Oregon, IBG uses data and science to solve real problems for both consumers and the retailers who serve them. Its core pillars include crafting the purest adult beverages on earth, providing consumer transparency and in doing so, aims to leave the world in a better place than it found it.

Replica: mastering flavour

Not only is IBG breaking ground in terms of environmental responsibility and third-party testing and certifications; the winery is also turning heads by the way it uses data and science to produce great wines – none more so than with its Replica brand.

Read more here…

Food Vision 2030: Is Ireland about to export its leadership?

To describe the Republic of Ireland, a nation rich in history and culture, as “finding its voice” seems somewhat laughable. But the small island nation is – in the words used multiple times at this week’s EFFoST 2022 Conference in Dublin – “punching above its weight” when it comes to food and beverage production and leadership.

Food has always played a massive role in the nation’s history – sometimes more so the lack of it, yet even today the food and beverage sector is a key part of how Ireland presents itself to the world. Indeed, it is the country’s largest indigenous industry, turning over some €27.5 billion and exporting a further €13 billion.

While Irish beef and Guinness might be brands well-known and loved around the world, the country is developing another food and beverage-based export too: it’s leadership.

Read more here…

USA and Canada

Canada’s exports rise in September as wheat volumes rebound

OTTAWA, Nov 3 (Reuters) – Canada’s exports rose in September, largely driven by better wheat volumes and prices, while imports were also up, with both import and export values impacted by the depreciation of the Canadian dollar, Statistics Canada said on Thursday, Nov. 3.

The country’s trade surplus with the world widened to $1.14 billion Canadian ($827.4 million in U.S. dollars) in September, below analyst forecasts of a surplus of C$1.34 billion, but up from a downwardly revised C$550 million surplus in August.

Exports rose 1.3% in September and were up 1.7% on a volume basis, though prices fell for the fourth consecutive month, Statscan said. Wheat led the gains, rebounding sharply as this year’s strong harvest began to impact exports.

The rise in agricultural exports will bolster Canada’s economic growth in the third quarter and likely into the fourth, Andrew Grantham, senior economist at CIBC Capital Markets, said in a note.

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U.S. Corn Farmers Wary of Vomitoxin, Latest Stress on Global Grain Supplies

A fungus that causes “vomitoxin” has been found in some U.S. corn harvested this fall, causing headaches for growers and livestock producers and forcing ethanol plants and grain elevators to scrutinize grain deliveries.

The situation is another hit to global grain supplies that have sunk to the lowest in a decade since Russia invaded corn and wheat producer Ukraine. Drought has also slammed U.S. and European crops.

Feed made from grain contaminated with concentrated levels of the plant toxin can sicken livestock and lead to low weight gain, particularly among hogs, and grain buyers can reject cargoes or fine farmers for shipments that contain it.

Early signs of the toxin are emerging in Ohio, according to a weekly report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Grain buyers in eastern Indiana are also starting to more rigorously test corn deliveries for vomitoxin, according to farmers and elevator sources.

Read More…

Speculator exodus reduces soybean market risk

The funds have pulled out of the soybean market in a big way, reducing further downside price risk for the leader of the oilseeds markets, say analysts.

Managed money was net long 101,329 contracts as of Nov.1, down from the 2022 high of 180,334 net long contracts set Feb. 22.

Speculators were net short 7,171 contracts on Nov. 1, down from a high of 41,308 net long contracts set on Feb. 1.

“There is no doubt soybeans have lost favour with the speculative crowd since June,” DTN lead analyst Todd Hultman said in a recent column.That is when U.S. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell started warning about the possibility of a U.S. recession.

Read More …

U.S. wheat slumps 6 percent after Russia says it will resume Black Sea grain deal

Conventional grain markets have been described as volatile, but processors of organic grains are using a different descriptor.

“I do believe we’re looking at stability,” said Matt Speidel, a buyer with Avena Foods.

The term “stability” was mentioned numerous times during the Organic Grain Markets webinar hosted by SaskOrganics.

Demand for most organic crops remains robust and that is reflected in strong prices for many organic commodities.

“We’re not seeing (the) drop in prices like the conventional growers,” said Alex Galarneau, owner of Prairie Heritage Seeds.

“They’re seeing quite a bit of drop in their commodities.”

Read more…

U.S. wheat slumps 6 percent after Russia says it will resume Black Sea grain deal

PARIS, (Reuters) – Wheat futures plummeted from Chicago to Europe on Wednesday after Russia said it would resume its participation in a deal to export grain from war-torn Ukraine after suspending it over the weekend in a move that had threatened global food supplies.

The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) most-active wheat contract fell 6 percent to US$8.47-3/4 a bushel by 1100 GMT, paring the two-day rise that followed the announcement of Russia’s suspension.

Corn followed the trend, down 2.3 percent to US$6.81-3/4 a bushel while soybeans were down 1 percent at US$14.33-1/2 a bushel.

“These latest announcements remove part of the risk premium for exporters so we are losing what we had gained over the past days in wheat,” Arthur Portier of consultancy Agritel said.

“However, we still don’t know whether the deal will be extended later this month so uncertainty remains,” he added.

Read More …

New Zealand

Emissions impossible? How farmers are reducing their footprint

The farming life possibly never looks so good as on a balmy spring day, a light breeze blowing, Mt Te Aroha clear as a bell to the southeast.

In the opposite direction is the brown fringe of the Kopuatai wetlands, while up closer a few poplars catch the breeze.

And really close, through a fence, there is the sound of ripping grass as a herd of friesian-jersey cows set about eating the lush green pasture.

Look at the cows, says Melissa Slattery. And listen, for that matter. To a dairy farmer, this is the best noise, she says, the sound of a herd munching on grass. “Honestly. It’s quite therapeutic.”

So there’s this.

And then there are the numbers.

Read More here...

Robotics Plus launches unmanned hybrid vehicle that solves labour issues 

Local ag-tech company Robotics Plus has launched an unmanned, hybrid orchard tractor that tackles labour shortages and worker safety challenges.

The Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), designed to work specifically in fruit orchards and vineyards, was the first of its kind in New Zealand.

Company chief executive, Steve Saunders, said the unmanned vehicles reduced reliance on machine operators that were hard to find because of labour shortages.

The tractor was remotely operated, and two operators could run more than ten vehicles at once, Saunders said.

An unmanned vehicle meant workers were removed from dangerous environments where they could be exposed to agriculture chemicals during spraying. It also meant less exposure to deadly tractor accidents, he said.

Read More here…

Guy Trafford looks at how Chinese food security issues impact our rural sector. In particular, the rise of the pork industry after ASF is on a monumental scale – and imports from China avoid NZ animal welfare regulations

The red meat markets are well into their seasonal slide from their peaks with processors taking fairly hefty slices off the schedules (venison excepted). However, most classes are still holding up relatively well in relation to the same time last year.

The one category that stands out as being significantly down on twelve months ago is the mutton schedule (2022: $126 average per carcass versus $147 2021).

The previous year’s highs were largely being driven by the heavy cull of pigs in China as African Swine Fever had run rampant through their herd. This year the disease is largely under control and herds within China are building back up. This year pork production is expected to be up 5% on 2021 and imports of pork and mutton are reducing.

Read More here…

New Zealand locks horns with Canada in dairy trade row

WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s trade minister accused Canada on Monday (Nov 7) of having “locked out” his nation’s farmers in a dispute over dairy exports destined to be settled by an independent panel.

Damien O’Connor said the Canadians are “not living up” to promises made under a 2018 Trans-Pacific free trade agreement to allow dairy products into Canada.

“This is impacting New Zealand exporters, who remain effectively locked out of the Canadian market,” O’Connor said in a statement.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership was signed in 2018 by Canada, New Zealand and nine other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

New Zealand first said in May it had beef with Canada’s administration of tariff rate quotas to allow dairy products to be imported with lower import taxes.

Read More here…

Australia

Australia ships 71,469t chickpeas, 67,800t lentils in Sep

AUSTRALIA exported 71,469 tonnes of chickpeas and 67,800t of lentils in September, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Pakistan was the biggest market by far for chickpeas, taking 57,928t for September, well ahead of Nepal on 6039t in second place.

The Pakistan volume indicates a switch to bulk business from containers, which remain expensive and unreliable.

On lentils, Bangladesh on 20,155t was the biggest market, followed by India on 16,367t.

September chickpea exports more than doubled from the August total of 33,220t, and represent the release of old-crop stocks ahead of the new-crop harvest in Central Queensland which is now well advanced.

Read more here

Aus exports 7.2Mt feed barley, 2.2Mt sorghum in 2021-22

AUSTRALIA exported 875,107 tonnes of malting barley, 7,196,296t of feed barley and 2,242,473t of sorghum in 2021-22 (Oct-Sep).

The figures have come to light following the recent release of Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) export data for September.

For malting barley, September exports fell to a low for the 2021-22 year of 41,870t, with Vietnam on 32,942t showing up as the only full bulk cargo for the month.

September feed barley exports at 662,421t hit a monthly high for the back half of the shipping year, as did shipments to Saudi Arabia on 335,543t.

Saudi on 3.2Mt for the year has been the market for close to half of Australia’s 2021-22 feed barley exports, with Japan on 1Mt the only other seven-digit market for the year.

Read more here …

Hope for new-crop cotton at 5Mb plus despite flooding

INDUSTRY body Cotton Australia is still expecting a large national cotton crop despite excessively wet conditions over the main growing areas in New South Wales and Queensland.

However, area planted and bales picked in regions with narrow planting windows and where there has been sustained and significant flooding are expected to be severely reduced.

Following a record 5.5 million bale (Mb) crop last season, the last of which is still being ginned, Cotton Compass last month predicted the 2022-23 crop to reach 5.25Mb.

In its Australian Agribusiness Monthly report released on Friday, Rabobank said forecasters were pegging the crop at a similar “low 5M bale range”.

These predictions are positive considering that the final crop production outcome is reliant on more favourable weather conditions kicking in across the rest of the year and into 2023.

Read mpore here…

Warning issued for growers harvesting wet paddocks

GROWERS must take extra precautions before and during crop harvesting on wet paddocks this year, cautions the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).

Exceptional rainfall across southern and eastern Australia means many growers will be faced with harvesting crops in very wet conditions.

Extension specialist and GRDC southern panel deputy chair Pru Cook said it is important for growers and harvest workers to look after themselves this harvest.

“Harvest will be a long, drawn-out process that will present a range of physical and mental challenges for growers and harvest workers,” Ms Cook said.

“We want to remind everyone involved in harvest operations this year to take their time to prepare, understand the risks and how to reduce them, and to look out for each other.”

Read more here…

Feedgrain Focus: Moves mixed as trade navigates floods

PROGRESS in the Queensland harvest has softened values in the northern market, while moves in southern prices were mixed and moderate to reflect some short covering and the inevitability of big volumes of feed grades in ongoing wet conditions.

New South Wales roads closed by the worsening flood situation in parts of the grainbelt are the biggest logistics hurdle for the trade this week.

However, trade sources report some dry and even sunny weather has allowed trucks to load.

The lateness of the eastern and South Australian harvests could well see some exporters provide additional competition for old-crop grain as shipping moves to the new-crop window with nothing fresh off the header to be found south of the Queensland-NSW border.

Harvest of barley and wheat crops is taking place in the drier patches of Central Queensland (CQ), the Maranoa, the Western Downs and the border region

Read more here…

South America

Argentine drought will force Brazil to purchase wheat in non-Mercosur suppliers

Brazil will need alternative wheat sources because Argentina, its traditional supplier, is facing a serious crop insufficiency as a result of a serious drought that has curtailed production and compromised export volumes. Market analysts expect Brazil will thus have to look for supplies in potential providers such as the United States, Canada and even Russia.

Brazil is a net wheat importer and neighboring Argentina, which is currently suffering a prolonged drought, is its most important source of the cereal.

“Generally, Brazil buys some 6 million tons from Argentina,” said StoneX risk management consultant Fabio Lima. But now, Brazil is anticipated will have to look for one to 1,5 million tons of imports outside the Mercosur trade block.

Brazil is one of the world’s largest wheat importers, with domestic consumption above 12 million tons annually, below its output capacity, although the southern states of the country are planning a long term scheme to lessen foreign wheat dependence.

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Mercosur meatpackers concerned over weaker demand from the Chinese market

Brazilian meatpackers, large and small, have seen a drop in exports during October, which have been considerably slower than during the month of September. Shipments dropped some 43,000 tons, particularly to China, which has caused certain unrest, because the Asian giant has long become Brazil’s (and Mercosur) main export market.

Exports in October totaled 188.560 tons, compared to 231.450 tons in September. According to data from the Brazilian exports secretariat, Secex, in the last five working days of the month, there was a further 11% decrease.

Brazilian meatpackers are concerned because a steady flow of sales to China has become somewhat erratic, with a softer demand, although overall sales this last month were higher than those in October 2021.

Sources from the main meatpackers indicate that in the next few days, “we will be able to identify more clearly which countries decreased their purchases, and how significantly China has impacted”.

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Uruguayan beef makes successful presentation in Shanghai

An Uruguayan team has successfully persuaded would-be buyers at the 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai of the benefits of a healthy diet containing beef from the South American country.

Beef exports to the Asian giant are “witnessing the transformation and improvement of the Chinese consumer market,” Xinhua reported.

According to the National Meat Institute of Uruguay, China has become a leading customer since 2013. In 2021, Uruguay’s beef exports to China totaled 284,000 tons, accounting for 67 percent of Uruguay’s total beef exports for the year.

Prior to the start of this year’s CIIE, the institute sent invitations to all Uruguayan beef exporters with export qualifications to China. Beef exporters have the opportunity to negotiate face-to-face with Chinese importers at this edition.

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ASOEX Forecasts 25% Increase in Chilean Cherry Exports in 2022/23

According to the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX), Chile is expected to export a record volume of fresh cherries for the 2022/23 season, with forecasted exports of over 89 million 5-kilogram boxes of cherries, or nearly 477,000 metric tons. If these estimates are achieved, it would represent an increase of 25% in total Chilean cherry exports compared with the previous season.

ASOEX marked the launch of the 2022/23 Chilean cherry season on Sep. 30 with festivities attended by Chinese Ambassador to Chile Niu Qingbao. Officials expressed optimism about China’s market this season: Chilean Minister of Agriculture Esteban Valenzuela predicted that the value Chilean cherry exports to China could top $3 billion.

In recent comments, ASOEX President Iván Marambio acknowledged the challenges of the 2021/22 season and underlined commitments to resolving logistical issues, especially for China-bound shipments. “Last season was one of the most complicated that the fresh fruit exporting sector in our country has experienced,” said Marambio.

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Food Updates

Scientists extend the shelf life of pasta by 30 days

Italian research has discovered a new recipe that can extend the shelf life of fresh pasta by 30 days through packaging changes and ingredient additions.

Research has revealed that the shelf life of fresh pasta can be extended by 30 days via making changes to packaging, adding bioprotective, and using an antimicrobial bacteria called probiotics.

Pasta is a staple food of Italian cuisine but it’s popularity spans further than just one country. The revenue generated by European pasta sales amounted to $19.14 billion in 2022, however, its popularity is forecasted to grow annually by 9.28 percent.

With the popularity of pasta projected to increase, Italian researchers have published their novel recipe for long-lasting fresh pasta in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

Usually, fresh pasta is produced through industrial processes that involve heat-treating the product. It is then typically stored in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), meaning that oxygen is removed and replaced with other gasses.

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Why are Canadians changing their eating habits?

Data reveals that Canadians are changing they way they are spending their money, including eating out less and cutting back on meat consumption to save money.A Statista survey has highlighted that many Canadians are changing their eating habits due to food price hikes.To navigate the cost-of-living crisis, the survey has revealed that many Canadians are making conscious changes to their lifestyles, including eating out less and cutting down on their meat consumption.

According to Kirstin Beardsley, CEO of Food Banks Canada, “nearly one in five Canadians have reported going hungry in the last two years”. What’s more, price rises for store-bought food in Canada have outpaced the annual inflation rate for 10 consecutive months, suggesting that these lifestyle changes may not be temporary.

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How to stand the test of time in the cultured meat market

As plant-based sales stagnate in the US, Bethan Grylls looks at the lessons that can be taken into the cultured meat industry, including how it should position and market itself around the world and what the best move is for those in plant proteins going forwards.

The year is 2030 and cultured meat has become the norm – this was the setting of MMR Research Worldwide’s Stardate event that took place in the Metaverse earlier this week. An apt location choice, as the expert line-up explored the future of food choices.

The idea that cultured meat will be widely available is not an unreasonable forecast, with the sector anticipated to be worth $572 million by 2027.¹ Singapore and Israel led the way in 2020 with cultured chicken becoming commercially available in both countries. Eat Just was granted the world’s first regulatory approval to sell its chicken as an ingredient in Singapore, whilst Israeli-based SuperMeat now serves up lab grown chicken in its own restaurant.

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Why food allergies should be seen as a business opportunity, not a threat

The last few years have been marked by some tragic and unfortunate deaths caused by allergic reactions to food ordered in restaurants or purchased at takeaway outlets.
Inevitably, these events have left a vast number of food venues feeling apprehensive and over cautious when it comes to serving people with food hypersensitivity.

To further complicate matters, food labelling regulations missed the chance to standardise the way information is communicated to consumers when Natasha’s Law came into force, meaning that some food manufacturers volunteer allergen information that is not necessarily accurate or helpful for the consumer.¹

However, as the number of people affected by food allergies and coeliac disease continues to rise, food businesses should embrace this growing trend and seek opportunities in this space.²

In this article, I will explore the way restaurateurs currently deal with allergen information and allergen provision, reflect on the way this is communicated to the consumer and how improvements could be made by making simple adjustments, which will ultimately benefit businesses and their reputation.

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UK food inflation continues to break records

October 2022 marks an all-time high for food inflation in the UK, increasing to 11.6 percent and affecting basic products such as milk.

With cost-of-living crisis continuing to affect consumers across the UK, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has revealed that food inflation in October 2022 has increased to a record-breaking 11.6 percent.

Previously, in September 2022, food inflation reached 10.6 percent, however the additional percentage increase in October has affected basic items such as tea bags, milk and sugar.

Explaining the recording breaking inflation rates, Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive of the BRC said: “Prices were pushed up because of the significant input cost pressures faced by retailers due to rising commodity and energy prices and a tight labour market.

“While some supply chain costs are beginning to fall, this is more than offset by the cost of energy, meaning a difficult time ahead for retailers and households alike.”

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