USA and Canada

U.S.-Mexico corn fight could hurt barley growers

A brewing corn trade war between Mexico and the United States could have dire consequences for Canadian barley growers, says an analyst.

Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador issued a presidential decree on Dec. 31, 2020, that would ban the import of genetically modified corn starting in 2024 and phase out the use of glyphosate.

On Nov. 28, 2022, the United States threatened legal action against Mexico if it proceeds with that plan.

“The president’s phase-out decree has the potential to substantially disrupt trade, harm farmers on both sides of the border and significantly increase costs for Mexican farmers,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a tweet after meeting with Lopez Obrador.

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U.S. winter wheat crop in trouble

The U.S. winter wheat crop is in terrible shape as 2022 draws to a close, but that is not necessarily a precursor of what’s to come in 2023, says an analyst.

An estimated 34 percent of the crop was rated good-to-excellent as of Nov. 29, down from 44 percent the same time one year ago.

It is the second worst score dating back to 1987 for this time of year.

The poor rating stems from that fact that there is still extreme to exceptional drought in much of the central and southern Plains regions of the U.S.

Aaron Harries, vice-president of research and operations with Kansas Wheat, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s poor crop ratings are accurate.

“If anything, the conditions are going downhill,” he said.

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U.S. farm incomes seen soaring to new highs on global food, feed demand

CHICAGO, Dec 1 (Reuters) – Soaring grain and livestock prices are expected to push U.S. farm incomes to a historic high this year, as producers benefit from strong global grain and oilseed demand amid tight supplies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on Thursday.

Net farm income — which is a broad measure of profits in the agricultural economy, according to the agency — is forecast to increase to $160.5 billion in 2022 from $19.5 billion a year earlier.

Much of the growth in the crop sector came from sales of corn, soybeans and wheat, the agency said, noting that livestock cash sales receipts were also expected to jump nearly 31% to $256.0 billion.

In inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars, net farm income would be at its highest level since 1973 and net cash farm income at its highest level on record, the agency said.

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Canadian wheat, canola harvests turn out smaller than expected due to dryness

Canada’s wheat and canola harvests turned out smaller than expected due to dry conditions in parts of the Prairies, but were still bigger than last year’s, a government report showed on Friday.

War in Ukraine has tightened global supplies of wheat and vegetable oil, of which Canada is a major producer. Dry conditions in Argentina have further inflamed food security concerns.

Canada, however, produced its third-biggest wheat crop ever, bouncing back from last year’s severe drought.

Statistics Canada estimated all-wheat production at 33.8 million tonnes, down from its September estimate of 34.7 million but still 52 per cent higher than last year.

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New Zealand

Growers building accommodation, bumping up wages in bid for workers in Eastern Bay of Plenty

Growers desperate for workers are building their own accommodation, bumping up wages, and trying to recruit backpackers before they arrive in the country.

A handful of Eastern Bay of Plenty primary industry employers turned out to meet with National party immigration spokeswoman Erica Stanford at a Te Rahu Road kiwifruit orchard in late November.

Stanford was there to hear about some of the issues facing orchardists and farmers due to worker shortages in New Zealand, particularly RSE (Recognised Seasonal Employer) workers and working holiday makers.

“We’re working on an immigration policy at the moment so I’m talking to people and making sure that we are on the right track, hearing their stories.”

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Lincoln University releases information about the way climate change may affect farming locations and type of production, and how farmers can respond, in a Westpac-supported report

Westpac NZ and Lincoln University have released research that finds agile farm management will be critical in reducing emissions and adapting to climate change.

Authored by Lincoln University’s Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit on behalf of Westpac, The Westpac NZ Agribusiness Climate Change Report assesses the risks and opportunities presented by climate change, as well as the sector’s vulnerabilities and potential responses.

Westpac NZ Head of Agribusiness Tim Henshaw says the report and a series of factsheets were designed to provide Westpac customers and other farmers and growers with impartial information about the way climate change may affect their location and type of production, and how they can respond.

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Kiwifruit orchard ‘set back three years’ after vines cut

Police in the Eastern Bay of Plenty town of Te Teko have appealed for information from the public after a kiwifruit orchard was targeted and vines were cut.

The damage saw 150 gold kiwifruit vines cut sometime between November 24-26.

The authorities suggested it would be three years before the vines could be harvested once more.

“This is a mindless act,” said Te Teko rural liaison officer, constable Wayne Lawrence.

“It has not only caused the victim a financial loss, but also a considerable amount of emotional harm.”

Constable Lawrence added that the damage caused to the vines has set the orchard back three years.

“The financial cost through loss of income and ongoing cost to repair the vines is also extremely high, to the point where the victim may never recoup what has been lost,” he said.

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Exorbitant tariffs, import barriers and protectionism: what’s holding back our trade in Asia

Walking around the Indian capital of New Delhi as part of a recent business delegation, Sirma Karapeeva was astounded to see how many people were dining out at high-end restaurants.

As the head of the Meat Industry Association in New Zealand, representing the country’s second-largest commodity export, Karapeeva just wishes they had more of our meat on their menus.

“They were out and about eating in top-notch restaurants and spending up, so clearly there’s a lot of opportunity there, but it’s an area that we haven’t been able to crack,” she says. “It is very much in our scope and very much in our line of sight as a priority market.”

India is Asia’s third-largest economy after China and Japan, but only 19th in New Zealand’s list of most valuable meat export markets in Asia, taking just $1.6 million of the country’s meat, mostly sheep, in the year to the end of August compared with China’s $3.85 billion and Japan’s $531m.

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Australia

GrainCorp harvest intake rockets to 4.6Mt

EASTERN Australian bulk handler GrainCorp has received 4.6 million tonnes (Mt) in the harvest to today following a 1.57Mt intake in the past week, it said in its latest Harvest Update.

The update said harvest has finished in Central Queensland, with many growers enjoying record yields in the biggest harvest they have seen in more than a decade.

The focus is now on southern Queensland, with the majority of receivals coming from the Goondiwindi region.

Northern New South Wales sites are well into harvest now, with the majority of receivals coming from Moree, Dubbo and Burren Junction regions.

Canola deliveries have been strong, with the cool, wet spring bringing in good yields and oil levels.

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Wet harvest sees malt premiums counter China’s absence

THE PREMIUM for malting barley over feed has surged to reflect the wet end to the growing season in south-eastern Australia, and pull the market out of the doldrums seen since China imposed a trade-halting tariff on the Australian grain in 2019.

Speaking at the Australian Export Grain Innovation Centre (AEGIC) webinar on Thursday, it was one of the key messages to come through from three leading barley growers, and also from Ag Scientia analyst Lloyd George.

The webinar was the latest event hosted by AEGIC to keep Chinese maltsters and brewers in touch with Australia, which exported up to 3.5 million tonnes (Mt) per annum of malting barley to China prior to tariff introductions in 2019.

Entitled Quality of Australian malting barley: From producer to consumer, the webinar was held in the wake of what appears to be some diplomatic headway being made between the Chinese and Australian governments after a troubled few years.

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Feedgrain Focus: Southern prices feel harvest pressure

A CHARGE on harvest in New South Wales under mostly clear skies has seen a flurry of selling activity in the past week that has enabled most consumers to get covered into the New Year.

The Victorian harvest has also cranked up, and to everyone’s delight, rainfall recorded for both states in growing areas in the week to today has been minimal at most.

In the north, feed barley is in demand, and an unusually high proportion of malting has tightened supply in the near term.

Queensland rain welcome

Queensland’s growing areas have had significant rain which is good news for summer crops in the ground, or area about to be planted, now that the winter-crop harvest is just about finished.

In the 24 hours to 9am today, registrations include: Clermont 17 millimetres; Dalby 15mm; Emerald and Springsure 48mm; Miles 40mm; Roma 20mm, and Surat 43mm.

Read mpore here…

Records fall as CBH receives 3.4Mt for week

WESTERN Australian bulk handler CBH Group received 3.4 million tonnes (Mt) of grain in the week to today to bring its 2022-23 intake for the harvest to date to 10.35Mt, the co-operative said in its latest Harvest Report.

CBH Group chief operations officer Mick Daw said the past week had been extremely busy across the network, with several sites breaking receival records.

“With growers finally experiencing decent harvesting conditions combined with exceptional yields, we have seen 22 sites break daily receival records.”

“On Thursday 1 December 2022, we broke the daily receival record with 587,974 tonnes received across the network, marginally surpassing the previous record of 587,738t which was set on the same day last year,” Mr Daw aid.

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South America

Argentine exchange says early soy in core farm belt hit by drought

BUENOS AIRES — Prolonged drought has left over a third of early planted soybeans in Argentina’s core farming region in regular to poor condition, the Rosario grains exchange said, adding more dry and hot weather was expected in the days ahead.

Argentina is the world’s leading exporter of processed soybean oil and meal, but an ongoing drought in the Pampas plains is causing challenges for the start of the 2022/23 soybean season, with planting ongoing.

Drought has already caused significant losses in wheat crops in the same cycle and caused major delays to soybean planting.

The Rosario exchange added that for the first week of December, above normal temperatures and a continued lack of rainfall are expected, bad news for the early planted soy that’s already suffering.

“A lack of water and high temperatures in recent weeks left numerous soybean fields in critical condition. Most of these fields are located in the east and southwest,” said the exchange, which noted that 4.1 million hectares of early soybeans have been planted so far in the area.

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Chile targets Brazil to promote and expand exports

Chile is renewing its strategy to increase and diversify exports to the largest economy and market in South America. Spearheaded by ProChile, an arm of the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the plan is to expand its network in Brazil with new offices in Brasília and Belo Horizonte.

The strategy includes strengthening digital avenues to increase trade and market events to promote an export basket that ranges from olive oil to pork, onion, garlic and the classic wines item.

However the goal of diversifying exports will not make ProChile lose track of the country’s flagship in Brazil. Salmon and trout sales, which currently lead the list, generated US$ 673 million between January and October, up 12.4% from the same period last year.

In terms of agribusiness exports, Brazil is Chile’s third-largest export destination. The US leads with US$ 5.4 billion in the first ten months of this year, representing a growth of 29.9%, according to data from ProChile.

Wines, another Chilean export to Brazil, sales increased 4,5% to US$ 159 million in the first ten months of the year, with a jump in purchases of sparkling wines, a modest demand until this year.

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SOYBEAN SALES IN ARGENTINA HAVE THE HIGHEST LEVEL IN MONTHS WITH RESUMPTION OF PREFERENTIAL EXCHANGE RATE

Argentine farmers sold 299 thousand tons of Soy on Monday, the highest volume of the last two months, thanks to the exchange that the government established for the rest of the year to try to speed up the inflow of foreign currency into the country, informed this Tuesday the Rosario Stock Exchange (BCR).

Argentina, the world’s largest exporter of soybean oil and meal, has been selling its soybeans since Monday at an exchange rate of 230 pesos per dollar38% higher than the interbank rate that governed the market on Tuesday, which encouraged operations.

Soy complex exports are the main source of foreign exchange for the South American country, whose central bank is trying to bolster its foreign currency holdings, which have fallen sharply on uncertainty over the local currency amid high inflation and financial adversity.

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Chile Launches 2022/23 Fresh Fruit Export Season Despite Delays

On Nov. 22, Chile’s 2022/23 fresh fruit export season was launched at the Port of Valparaíso, one of the most important export ports in Chile and Pacific South America. Attendees including Esteban Valenzuela, Minister of Agriculture, Iván Marambio, chairman of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX), and Andrea Collao, national director of Chile’s Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG), among other distinguished public and industry officials, placed great emphasis on improvements made this season to avoid the logistical challenges of a year ago.

Based on a recently launched collaborative logistics plan, government and industry have implemented a series of measures to improve the logistics chain and retain fruit condition and quality. Among these measures are new departure ports closer to production areas such as the ports of Coronel and Ventanas, optimization of the logistics chain from ports to the rest of the country, and improvements to the key ports of Valparaíso and San Antonio.

In particular, the Port of Valparaíso has increased its electrical infrastructure, implemented an export cargo scheduling platform, expanded cargo loading and reception and, from January to April 2023, extended sanitary inspection services.

Read more here

Food Updates

FSA pilots School Food Standards compliance

A total of 18 local authorities across England are participating in the School Food Standards compliance pilot created by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Department for Education (DfE).

This pilot has been set up to understand whether schools across England are adhering to the School Food Standards that exist to make sure children are being nutritiously fed during school hours.

“We all want to ensure that the food served in schools meets the standards that have been set,” said Professor Susan Jebb, FSA Chair.

“This project will give insight into what’s happening in schools today and identify whether additional support is needed to help them to do the very best they can for children and drive positive change in the school food system.”

“This project will give insight into what’s happening in schools today and identify whether additional support is needed to help them to do the very best they can for children and drive positive change in the school food system.”

Read more here

Sports beverages: “Finding your niche”

Nowadays, functional beverages take many different forms, but with the energy and sports drink market being valued at $3.98 billion in 2022, many companies may be keen to innovate within this in-demand sector.But with the likes of Gatorade and Lucozade being household names, is there space for sports beverage start-ups? According to Maria Pavlidou, Partner & Senior Strategy Consultant at the Healthy Marketing Team (HMT), for them to succeed, it’s all about “finding your niche”.

What are functional beverages?

Functional beverages are non-alcoholic drinks that serve a purpose. According to an academic study, they typically contain ingredients such as minerals, vitamins, amino acids, dietary fibres, probiotics and added raw fruits.

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Brexit has cost UK households £5.8 billion in higher food bills

According to research, leaving the European Union (EU) added an average of £210 to household food bills over the two years leading up to the end of 2021, with Brexit ultimately costing UK consumers a total of £5.8 billion.

The study titled ‘Non-tariff barriers and consumer prices: Evidence from Brexit’ was carried out by the London School of Economics’ (LSE) Centre for Economic Performance (CEP).

According to the CEP, overall food prices increased by six percent, however it also revealed that the these increases had a “proportionately greater impact on the poorest people”. Researchers noted that this is because low-income households spend a greater share of their income on food than richer families.

Specifically, the poorest households were affected by a Brexit-induced 1.1 percent rise in the overall cost-of-living whereas the top 10 percent of households were reportedly only subject to a 0.7 percent price rise.

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“Christmas cheer will be dampened” by food inflation

The BRC has forecasted an “increasingly bleak” winter with food inflation increasing to 12.4 percent in November.

According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), food inflation is on the rise again as in November 2022 it soared to 12.4 percent compared to October’s 11.6 percent.

According to Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive of the BRC, the prices of meat, eggs and dairy have been “hit by rocketing energy costs, and the rising costs of animal feed and transport”.

Additionally, Dickinson noted: “Coffee prices also shot up on last month as high input costs filtered through to price tags.”

Shop price annual inflation reportedly accelerated to 7.4 percent in November (up by 1.2 percent from 6.6 percent in October 2022). According to the BRC, this marks another record for shop price inflation since the index started in 2005.

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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.

Read more here …

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.

Read more here…

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).

Read more here…

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.

Read more here

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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

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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.

Read more here…

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.

Read more here

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.

Read more here

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.

Read more here…

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.

Read more here…

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.

Read more here…

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.”

Read more here…

Rice is a staple in any kitchen, and with so many different types, it lends itself to a limitless number of recipes. Before you add the same type of rice to every recipe you prepare, however, think twice. Substituting one type of rice for another can really alter the result of a recipe. Each type of rice has its own taste, texture, and unique properties that work well with different cooking applications. So how do you know which one is the best type of rice to use? This guide examines factors that differentiate types of rice, from nutty basmati to fragrant jasmine and more!

Types of Rice

Length and Shape

Rice is often characterized as one of three varieties – long grain, medium grain, or short grain rice. These varieties refer to the length and shape of the grain. Simply speaking, long grain rice will have a longer cylindrical shape, whereas short grain rice will be shorter and wider.

Long Grain Rice

This rice has milled grains that are at least three to four times as long as they are wide. Due to its starch composition, it is separate, light and fluffy when cooked.

Medium Grain Rice

When compared to long grain rice, medium grain rice has a shorter, wider kernel. Since the cooked grains are more moist and tender than long grain rice, the rice has a greater tendency to stick together.

Short Grain Rice

Featuring grains that are less than twice as long as they are wide, this rice is short and best for sushi. It has a sticky texture when cooked.

Texture

When cooking rice dishes, you’ll want to think about the desired texture of the rice. The starch content varies from rice type to rice type. It will affect whether rice is sticky or light and fluffy.

Sticky Rice

Also known as sweet rice, sticky rice is grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia and is used in many traditional Asian dishes, desserts, and sweets. When cooked, sticky rice is especially sticky and is often ground into rice flour.

Parboiled Rice

This “rough” rice has gone through a steam-pressure process before milling that gelatinizes the starch in the grain. This process produces a more separate grain that is light and fluffy when cooked. Converted rice is a type of parboiled rice that has been further pre-cooked, which ultimately allows you to whip up dishes of rice even faster.

Color

Rice is naturally brown after harvesting, but once the nutrient-rich outer layer of bran is removed, it is white in color. Red rice, black rice, and purple rice all feature unique pigmentation in the bran. For these colorful rice varieties, the bran layer usually remains for added visual appeal and added nutritional value.

Polished Rice

The term “polished” simply refers to white rice that has had its outer brown layer of bran and germ removed. Rice that has shed its bran layers can also be referred to as “milled rice.”

Brown Rice

This healthful rice sheds its outer husk and retains its bran and germ layers that give it a characteristic tan color. Though brown rice takes a little longer to cook than white rice, the nutrient-dense layers are rich in vitamins and minerals.

Forbidden Black Rice

High in nutritional value, this rice is also known as black rice and has a mild nutty flavor. Slightly sticky when cooked, it is used in a variety of Chinese or Thai dishes, including Chinese black rice cake and mango sticky rice. Mix it with white rice, and it also adds color to any rice pilaf or rice bowl.

Wild Rice

Wild rice grains are harvested from the genus Zizania of grasses. High in protein, wild rice adds a colorful, exotic flair to any rice dish. Serve it with stir frys, mushroom soups, or casseroles for something new.

Aroma

Aroma is another factor to consider when cooking with rice. Certain rice varieties give off pleasing fragrances while being cooked. Add a sensory element to your guests’ dining experience with these rice types.

Basmati Rice

Basmati rice is a type of long-grain rice that is popular among Indian cuisine and other ethnic dishes. Cooked basmati rice imparts a subtle nutty or popcorn-like flavor and aroma.

Jasmine Rice

Jasmine rice, sometimes known as Thai fragrant rice, is a type of long grain rice with a long kernel and slightly sticky texture when cooked. Use it to infuse a subtle jasmine flavor and aroma into your dishes.

Different Types of Rice and Their Uses

As shown above, there are a variety of factors involved in choosing what rice will best suit your establishment’s needs. Take a look at these types of rice to determine which flavor profile, color, length, and texture will work best for your next signature recipe.

Arborio

Arborio rice is a medium grain rice that is wider in size and has a characteristic white dot at the center of the grain. It is named after the town of Arborio in the Po Valley of Italy, where it is grown. Due to the high starch content of Arborio rice, it has a slightly chewy and sticky consistency and develops a creamy texture when cooked.

Length: Medium grain
Flavor Profile: Creamy
Ideal For: Risotto, rice pudding, soup

Basmati

When cooked, basmati rice grains are long, dry, and separate. They impart a pleasant, nutty aroma and flavor in any dish. It is common in Indian and Asian cuisine, but it can be used in a variety of flavorful recipes. Serve it plain or with fresh herbs, green onions, coconut, or vegetables for a signature pilaf.

Length: Long grain
Flavor Profile: Nutty
Ideal For: Dal, curry, saffron rice

Brown

Brown rice grains have a chewy texture when cooked. They impart a pleasant, slightly nutty flavor in any dish. The nutritious bran layers are left on brown rice so it can retain its natural goodness and tan color. Rich in vitamins and minerals, brown rice is a 100% whole grain food. It is a versatile rice that becomes light and fluffy when cooked, ensuring it won’t stick together.

Length: Long grain
Flavor Profile: Nutty
Ideal For: Stuffed peppers, casseroles, stir-fry dishes, rice pilaf

Jasmine

Cultivated in Thailand, jasmine rice will bring an exotic flair and flavorful accent to any dish. It develops a pleasant jasmine aroma while it is cooking. Use it when making a variety of traditional Asian dishes, including curries and stir-frys. The moist, soft texture is ideal for soaking up spices and flavors.

Length: Long grain
Flavor Profile: Floral, jasmine flavor and aroma
Ideal For: Curry, stir-fry dishes, and other Thai and Asian cuisine

White

Due to the starch composition of white long grain rice, it has a slightly sticky consistency that’s useful in stuffing, casseroles, and stir-fry dishes. It is arguably the most familiar and easily recognizable rice in traditional American recipes, and it’s also popular in Asian and Mexican cuisine. Compared to other varieties of rice, it has a mild flavor and light and fluffy texture when cooked.

Length: Long grain
Flavor Profile: Mild
Ideal For: Stuffing, casseroles, stir-fry dishes, rice pilaf

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Bacteriophages to the future

Food scientist, Maria Costa, outlines why bacteriophages are a promising future solution to improving food safety and reducing wastage.

In the food industry, processing is very important, and ensuring food safety across the food chain is imperative. Even with the strict regulations around the world regarding food safety to ensure food is safe for consumption, every year there are outbreaks related to food bacterial contaminations leading to numerous deaths and foodborne diseases, contributing to severe economic losses related to health costs and food losses.^1,2

Read more here…

More Virtual Cooking Classes

Plant-based ‘fish’

Plant-based burgers are old news now, but next on the horizon are plant-based ‘fish’ options. These vegan alternatives do their best to mimic the taste, texture and nutritional value of popular fish such as salmon and tuna; look out for Good Catch’s vegan ‘tuna’, which is widely available in the US and now in the UK, plus new Swedish start-up Hooked, which recently raised $600,000 (£424,000) to launch its flaked Toona and Salmoon in 2021.

Alt seafood to surge in growth Report showed that the global plant-based fish market is projected to surge at an impressive CAGR of around 28% from 2021 to 2031, to top a valuation of US$ 1.3 billion by 2031. Interestingly, the report found that plant-based shrimp is to emerge as the most consumed type.

It explored the biggest trends in alternative proteins and explores the opportunities and challenges for manufacturers today and for future market development. Consumer interest in plant-based fish alternatives is growing and is poised for a rapid rise like other alternative protein products.

If you would like more information, please click here to see our product page!

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Bacteriophages to the future

Food scientist, Maria Costa, outlines why bacteriophages are a promising future solution to improving food safety and reducing wastage.In the food industry, processing is very important, and ensuring food safety across the food chain is imperative. Even with the strict regulations around the world regarding food safety to ensure food is safe for consumption, every year there are outbreaks related to food bacterial contaminations leading to numerous deaths and foodborne diseases, contributing to severe economic losses related to health costs and food losses.^1,2Read more here…

USA and Canada

North American Grain/Oilseed Review: Canola up ahead of long weekend

WINNIPEG, Feb. 18 (MarketsFarm) – The ICE Futures canola market was stronger on Friday, with the largest gains in the old crop contracts as gains in Chicago Board of Trade soyoil provided some spillover support and traders adjusted positions ahead of the long weekend.

The canola market will be closed Monday for Manitoba’s Louis Riel Day, while markets in the United States will close for Presidents’ Day. Provincial holidays across most of Canada will also see many other markets and financial institutions closed.

Ongoing concerns over tight canola supplies and the need to ration demand remained supportive, although end-users are thought to be well covered for the time being.

About 14,629 canola contracts traded on Friday, which compares with Thursday when 15,438 contracts changed hands. Spreading accounted for 8,120 of the contracts traded.

SOYBEAN futures at the Chicago Board of Trade were stronger on Friday, as solid export demand provided support and traders adjusted positions ahead of the Presidents’ Day long weekend.

Read More…

Barley producers increase research spending in Sask.

In efforts to attract more attention to barley, a producer-led commission is using its reserves to boost research spending to $2.63 million.

Promoting the development of things such as improved varieties of barley is vital to making the crop more profitable for western Canadian farmers, said former vice-chair Jason Skotheim of the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission (SaskBarley).

“It’s a long-term investment that just compounds year after year … so it becomes incredibly important for producers.”

During a recent annual general meeting, he told participants a report commissioned by SaskBarley showed every dollar invested in variety development resulted in a return of $26.

“And so, if this plays out, it’s bringing in (roughly) $50 million into barley just in the last year alone in future value,” he said. “This is by far the biggest bang for the buck that we can do.”

Read More

Corn develops density tolerance over time

Sweet corn thrives in its own crowded company and, when planted at high densities, its yield potentially increases.

Recent research from the University of Illinois looked at the historical tolerance of corn density since the 1930s and results showed it has steadily contributed to genetic yield gain in field corn.

The study focused on crowding tolerance in hybrids from 1934 to 2014. Researchers found that marketable ear mass increased by 2.58 tonnes per acre over the 80-year time period, or 0.32 tonnes per acre per decade when grown at high densities.

“Over time, steady improvement in plant density tolerance has contributed greatly to genetic yield gain in field corn,” said Daljeet Dhaliwal, a doctoral student in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois.

While recent research indicated plant density tolerance in modern sweet corn hybrids could be exploited for yield gain, historical changes in density tolerance were unknown.

Read more…

Volatility increases in the grains

The volatility is starting to increase in the grain complex. Not that there wasn’t volatility before, but the moves are starting to become a little more erratic and the size of the moves are increasing. This is a sign that the market is getting closer to changing its trend. That was a real concern toward the end of the second week of February.

On Wednesday Feb. 9, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its February Crop Production/Supply and Demand report. For the most part, the report was uneventful to the grains, but there were a few nuggets found in the numbers.

On the U.S. wheat estimates, USDA made no adjustments to the 2020 numbers, which was as expected. For 2021, USDA left production unchanged but did lower demand 20 million bushels. The decrease in demand was due to a 3 million bushel cut in food demand, 2 million bushel cut in seed demand and a 15 million bushel cut in exports. That put U.S. wheat ending stocks at 648 million bushels, up 20 million bushels from the previous month and 16 million bushels above expectations.

Read more here…

Soybean School: How climate could impact Canadian production in 2030 and beyond

How might a changing climate affect soybean production across Canada?

On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soybean School, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientist Ward Smith shares how he and his colleagues have been studying agroecosystem models to predict the impact changing climates have on soybean production.

During the virtual Northern Soybean Summit hosted by last month by Soy Canada, Smith indicated that many Canadian growers can expect to see manageable heat, sufficient moisture and a longer growing season heading into 2030 and beyond.

Citing ongoing work with colleagues Budong Qian, Yong Min Kim, Qi Jing, Brian Grant, Guillaume Jego, Scott Duguid, Ken Hester and Alison Nelson, Smith notes that a warming climate should allow soybean production to expand in Western Canada in the black and some of the dark grey Chernozem soils.

Read More ...

New Zealand

New RubyRed kiwifruit variety due on shelves soon

The annual kiwifruit harvest is under way and first cab off the rank is the new “RubyRed” variety.

The red-fleshed kiwifruit are being sold commercially here and overseas for the first time. They are said to have a sweet, berry taste.

Zespri’s​ chief grower, industry and sustainability officer, Carol Ward​ says for the first year commercial volumes of Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit are going on the market and are “keenly anticipated” by consumers here and in Singapore, Japan and China.

Despite a shortage of seasonal workers because thousands of people couldn’t come to New Zealand during the Covid-19 pandemic, the harvest is on, and the industry is optimistic.

The harvest could be the biggest on record, industry grower group New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers (NZKGI) says.

Read More here…

Labour shortage bites for Nelson apple harvest

Apple growers in the Nelson region are approaching crunch time as they start harvesting crops while struggling with a major labour shortage.

Motueka Fruit Growers Association president Richard Clarkson said harvesting of some apple crops, such as Royal Gala, had already begun at some blocks in the region within the past week. This was about five days ahead of normal, he said.

While prolonged rain this month had caused splitting on some Royal Gala it was not a big percentage of the region’s crop, and overall the rain had helped increase the size of the fruit, contributing to good quality apples this season, Clarkson said.

However, a major labour shortage in the region which was impacting employers in all sectors, was going to make this year’s harvest difficult, he said, and growers would find it harder to get the fruit off the trees and get it packed.

Read More here…

Dairy prices jump 4.2% at auction to hit their highest level in almost 9 years

Dairy prices jumped 4.2 per cent overnight to hit their highest level in almost nine years, cementing expectations for record milk prices for farmers this season and bolstering the outlook for next season.

The Global Dairy Trade price index reached 1516, just shy of the all-time record of 1573 set in April 2013. Prices rose more than 4 per cent for the third consecutive fortnightly auction.

The average price for whole milk powder, which has the most impact on what farmers are paid, rose 4.2 per cent to US$4503 (NZ$6649) a tonne, the highest level since 2013. Whole milk powder has gained 16.5 per cent over the last three auctions and is sitting 25 per cent higher than at the same time last year.

Dairy prices have been rising as tight milk supply in New Zealand and overseas underpins demand. Fonterra, the world’s largest dairy exporter, has forecast a record farmgate milk payment to farmers for this season which runs to the end of May, and economists say the latest auction also bodes well for prices next season.

Read More here

Jobs and kiwifruit ripe for the picking as industry calls out for workers

The top of the south’s upcoming kiwifruit harvest looks set to be a bumper one, with expectations it will exceed the $71 million generated last year.

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc chief executive Colin Bond said this year’s harvest in the Nelson region looked positive, with good volumes and good quality fruit.

Nationally, the kiwifruit harvest kicked off last week with a new red variety, RubyRed, being picked in the Bay of Plenty. However, to Bond’s knowledge, RubyRed was not being grown in the Nelson region, where gold and green kiwifruit would start being harvested from March, he said.

There are about 125 kiwifruit growers in the Nelson region.

Last year the upper South Island’s kiwifruit industry generated $71 million, and Bond said it would potentially be higher this year as there would be more crop available.

Read more here…

Australia

Australia in driver’s seat for new pulse opportunities

THE AUSTRALIAN pulse industry is set to enjoy a number of new opportunities in coming years as consumers across the world become increasing aware of their benefits and versatility and new technologies allow legumes to be utilised in new forms.

This is the opinion of Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre managing director Mirjana Prica, who said the Australian industry was primed to move from a bulk-focused outlook to concentrating further on premium markets.

“If the bulk market represents a supermarket I see Australia being more of a delicatessen,” Dr Prica said.

“Even if only 10pc of our pulse production can be diverted to high value markets that is a huge opportunity for the industry.”

Read more here …

What are the predictions for the 2022 season?

WITH the curtain officially drawn on the 2021 season, attention has turned to the 2022 growing season and the cost of putting a crop in has gone up substantially.

That’s primarily due to high fertiliser and herbicide prices due to supply constraints and will result in less area sown and subtle swaps in crop types.

According to the Grain Industry Association of Western Australia (GIWA) crop report author Michael Lamond, there will be more fallow in the low rainfall regions unless there was another exceptional start and more canola will be planted in the medium and high rainfall zones.

“The total area sown to crop in the low rainfall zones will be strongly driven by the amount and timing of rainfall in April and May,” Mr Lamond said.

“Barley will be swapped out for wheat in the higher rainfall zones due to the current lack of upside potential to price compared to wheat.

“There will be more crop and pasture legumes sown to provide nitrogen for crops sown in 2023.”

Read more here…

Australian sorghum crop of more than 2.5 million tonnes set to be the largest in 14 years

Expectations that Australia’s 2022 sorghum harvest will end up north of 2.5 million tonnes is likely to cap prices in the coming months.

Sorghum prices are holding in the mid $290s delivered into the Darling Downs, as improved harvesting weather allows more of the crops to be cut.

Brisbane port values have been steady around $310 a tonne.

Domestic feed grain buyers are showing little interest in utilising sorghum at current prices, which are only at a modest discount to stockfeed wheat into the southern Queensland feedlots, pig, and poultry markets.

Most feed grain users are intent on maximising the volume of stockfeed wheat in rations where supplies are abundant following the wet winter crop harvest in NSW.

Read more here

Low emissions from Australian grain industry

THE Australian grains industry exhibits low greenhouse gas emissions for each tonne of grain produced compared to our competing regions and countries, including the European Union, the United States, Canada, Russia and Ukraine.

That’s according to a new report, which CSIRO was commissioned to prepare, released last week by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).

The report, Australian Grains Baseline and Mitigation Assessment, found that Australian graingrowers are producing low emissions intensity, high quality cereals, pulses and oilseeds.

GRDC chairman John Woods said the report was designed to establish a detailed and robust greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions baseline for the Australian grains sector and explore mitigation opportunities that maintain or increase profitability.

Read more here…

Record harvest may be even bigger than first thought

THE RECORD breaking 2021-22 Australian winter crop may be even larger than previously thought according to one leading private grains analyst.

IKON Commodities released its updated 2021-22 production estimates and came out with figures substantially higher than those issued by the official forecaster the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES).

ABARES’ most recent update was in November, when it predicted a national record 58.4 million tonnes, including 34.4m tonnes of wheat.

IKON’s estimate of 39.04 million tonnes of production sits a healthy 13 per cent above the ABARES figure.

Chief executive at IKON Ole Houe said there was a key area where IKON and ABARES estimates differed.

Read more here…

South America

South American soybean crop estimates lowered again

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “massive” reduction in its South American soybean crop production estimate wasn’t drastic enough, according to analysts.

And that bodes well for soybean and other oilseed prices.

The USDA slashed its forecast for the region to 185 million tonnes in its February World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, down from 194 million tonnes in January and 204 million tonnes in December.

“If realized, this massive decrease in the South American soybean crop is likely to significantly constrict global trade,” stated the USDA.

Ben Buckner, grains analyst with AgResource Company, said it will be realized and more.

His team in Sao Paulo came up with a Brazilian production estimate of 125 million tonnes in mid-January, well below the USDA’s February number of 134 million tonnes.

Read More here…

Chilean Blueberries Hitting Peak in China With Record Volumes

The Chilean blueberry selling season in China has already entered its peak period starting from mid-January. With strong export volumes coming out of Chile during January, the 2021/22 season in China is forecast to continue heating up throughout February. According to the Chilean Blueberry Committee of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX), January 2022 saw a higher weekly average of blueberry exports than all previous seasons.

The peak of Chilean blueberry availability in China coincides with several holidays, including Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day, and both the wholesale and retail markets for fresh fruit are moving product briskly at this time of year. It is the off-season for China’s domestic blueberry production and Peruvian imports are already tailing off. This means that Chilean blueberries are moving to the forefront of consumers’ tables.

As with several other Chilean fruit products, the Chilean Blueberry Committee undertakes active promotion of blueberries to stimulate consumption in the China market. As part of this campaign, representatives of the committee have recently been traveling around the country to see the season’s progress, as well as holding events, such as seminars at wholesale markets in Qingdao and elsewhere.

Read More

SOYBEANS, CORN UP AHEAD OF HOLIDAY WEEKEND

Soybeans were higher on commercial and technical buying, closing out a higher week with nearby contracts back above $16. Rain was in the forecast for Argentina and southern Brazil in the coming week, but coverage was uncertain. Production in Paraguay is expected to be well below year ago levels. The USDA’s next look at supply and demand numbers is in the upcoming Ag Outlook Forum, while CONAB’s updated outlook for Brazil is out March 10^th. The Buenos Aires Grain Exchange held its soybean production estimate for Argentina unchanged at 42 million tons, compared to 43.1 million a year ago. Unknown destinations bought 198,000 tons of mostly new crop U.S. beans Friday morning, with 66,000 tons for 2021/22 and 132,000 tons for 2021/22. That was the third business day in a row with an announced sale for a total of 450,000 tons, 186,000 of that old crop and 264,000 of that new crop. Those sales to unknown might end up being delivered to China. At least to some degree, the lower production estimates for South America have influenced this recent uptick in purchases. Soybean meal was lower and bean oil was higher on the adjustment of product spreads. India has reportedly contracted to buy 100,000 tons of U.S. soybean oil due to record palm oil prices and uncertainties about production in South America.

Read more here

BRAZIL CORN WATCH: Prices stable amid strong progress in planting

Corn prices have stabilized over the week ended Feb. 11 in Brazil as rapid progress in the sowing of second-corn crop and high prices kept buyers on the sidelines, the local government agency and consultancies said in their reports.

Corn prices are likely to be stable in the coming days as there is an expectation that the second-corn crop will be planted within the ideal window, raising hopes of higher production this season, national agricultural agency Conab said.

Second-corn planting in the key states of Brazil, which account for 92% of the forecast area for marketing year 2021-22, continued the strong pace seen over the last few days, reaching 35.1% as of Feb.12 and well ahead of 10.2% recorded around the same period in the previous year, Conab said.

Brazil’s 2021-22 corn crop will be marketed during February 2022-January 2023.

Read more here…

Food Updates

Why are consumers and manufacturers choosing almonds?

New data released by the Food Foundation reports that 8.8 percent of households (4.7 millio

There is no let-up in the progress of plant-based as a sector, nor in the snack market either. A crucial group of ingredients underpinning the current growth in both is nuts, and more specifically the humble almond which is predicted to experience healthy growth over the next couple of years or so.

Some are anticipating the almond market to reach a global value of more than $12 billion by 2025. One of the main drivers behind this boom is the adoption of almonds by a variety of food manufacturers as a key ingredient, whether that’s in snacks or as a milk alternative.

…But why almonds?

Read more here…

New launches in the food and beverage industry

Potato milk is now on shelves at Waitrose and is tipped to become a best-seller. This alternative to dairy milk comes as UK consumers seek more vegan options for their diet. “There’s a growing consumer demand for vegan, eco-friendly products and potato milk ticks both of those boxes. Touted to be the most suitable alternative to cow’s milk on the market, potato milk is free-from lactose, soy, gluten and nuts”, said Tina Manahai, Co-owner and Managing Director at Healthy Supplies, one of the UK’s biggest independent online health food specialist retailers.

She continued: “Potatoes can be cultivated almost anywhere in the world, and with a low carbon footprint, the milk requires just half as much land as oat ‘milk’ and 56 times less than almond ‘milk’ for production. Most potato ‘milks’ also have added nutrients like vitamin B and C as well as pea protein, which not many people know about.”

Also in the UK, Papa John’s announced that it has become the first global quick service restaurant brand to put superfood hemp seeds on the menu, with the launch of its new limited-edition Hemp Sticks.

Read more here…

Vegetables do not protect against cardiovascular disease, study suggests

A large-scale study published in Frontiers in Nutrition found that – despite popular belief – consuming vegetables does not always lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Is there a link between vegetable consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)? Researchers from the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the University of Bristol conducted a study to find out.

The researchers used the UK Biobank for their study; this follows the health of half a million adults in the UK by linking to their healthcare records. Upon their enrolment in 2006-2010, these volunteers were interviewed about their diet, lifestyle, medical and reproductive history, among other factors.

The researchers used the responses of almost 400,000 participants to question their current daily average consumption of uncooked versus cooked vegetables.

Read more here…

Study reveals the five biggest challenges faced by fast food restaurants

A new study by NSF International discovers the challenges that are impacting food safety standards, as one in 10 franchise managers and employees believe food safety has been at risk on their site recently.

Global public health and safety organisation, National Sanitation Foundation International, better known as NSF International, has commissioned an independent study into the state of quick service restaurant (QSR) operations in the UK. The survey revealed the top five key areas of concern:

1. Covid-19 regulatory requirements
2. The rise of home delivery
3. Equipment malfunctions
4. Training and staff turnover

“We know that many of the trends and corresponding challenges brought about by the pandemic are here to stay, so restaurant owners and managers need to adapt in order to survive – and to do so safely,” said John Rowley, VP, Global Food Division for NSF.

Read more here…

Would you eat your cereal box to save the planet?

A new study has revealed support for edible packaging across multiple global regions, includ

Brand insights agency Nepa asked more than 5,600 consumers what they wished they would find on supermarket shelves in 10 years’ time, revealing new opportunities for brands that want to be a step ahead.

It won’t come as a surprise to many that sustainability is a growing concern, and although some seem averse to giving up meat, Nepa’s study has revealed that many would be willing to eat the packaging their food comes in. Whether it’s made from rice flour, wheat or sorghum, it appears as if people are ready to eat their cereal boxes for a more sustainable future. It’s a thumbs up from all markets too, with over 70 percent of respondents in India and China, 55 percent in Brazil, and 44 percent in the UK saying yes to edible packaging.

ing India, China and Brazil.

Read more here…

USA and Canada

U.S. legislation targets shipping container crisis

Exporters of Canadian agricultural products are looking with envy at legislation wending its way through the U.S. Congress.

The House of Representatives and Senate have both passed versions of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which would give more regulatory oversight to the Federal Maritime Commission.

The legislation is in response to shipper complaints about the unwillingness of ocean carriers to provide empty containers for the export of U.S. products, including agricultural goods.

Greg Northey, vice-president of corporate affairs with Pulse Canada and spokesperson for the Coalition to Fix the Container Crunch, applauds what is happening south of the border.

“That is exactly what we’d like to see,” he said.

Read More…

Canola prices expected to remain high

New crop canola prices are more likely to head up than down, says a trader of the commodity.

PI Financial broker Ken Ball says new crop canola is comfortably valued at $840 per tonne right now.

“It’s certainly not likely to come crashing down even with a good crop in Canada, the European Union and the Black Sea,” he said.

 

Ball believes November canola futures could quickly return to old crop values of $1,000 per tonne if Canada’s 2022 crop gets off to a rocky start.

“It wouldn’t take all that much,” he said.

“We rarely get a 100 percent smooth crop year underway in canola. There’s always problems with too dry, too wet, too cold, too hot somewhere.”

Read More

Survey shows North Dakota cropland sales rose 28% in 2021 to highest level ever

FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota farmland values increased by 28% in 2021 to an average of $3,172 per acre statewide, according to an annual survey by an appraiser group. That’s the highest since the $2,953 high set in 2013, beating the old record by $219 per acre.

Land rents also rose heading into 2022, but not as much as land values, and both are expected to “hold steady” into the coming year, according to an annual survey of a farmland appraisal group. This 25th year the North Dakota chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers & Rural Appraisers have compiled a value and cash rent survey.

The non-profit professional organization chapter has about 50 members. The survey, produced through cooperation among competitors, includes actual sales and land rents, but counts only “arms-length” transactions.

 Read more…

Could soybeans go to $17?

The soybean market, Randy Martinson of Martinson Ag Risk Management says, is in need of retracement.

But with constant new reports trimming expectations of the South American crop and constant new buyers coming to the U.S. for beans, the price just keeps climbing.

Michelle Rook of AgweekTV said soybeans have gained $2.70 since Jan. 18, which Martinson called “just phenomenal.”

Rook asked Martinson, if this continues, how high could it go? On this week’s Agweek Market Wrap, Martinson said if the price climbs above contract highs, he could see it climbing to $16.70 or, “and I hate to say it,” even $17.

Conab made a 15 million metric ton cut to Brazilian soybean estimates, far more than the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cut of 5 million metric tons. And Martinson said that number could get trimmed even more if forecasts of more hot, dry conditions come true.

Read More ...

New Zealand

Selling by the box: Avocado industry adjusts to changing world

Switching to selling avocados directly to online purchasers, and not to buyers for supermarkets has been a profitable move for Corey Ramage, who launched Grower Outlet ​mid-June.

He planted 1200 more trees last year in his Te Puna orchard, adding to his orchard with 30-year-old trees. He is planning to plant again this spring.

Ramage​ says customer demand for his avocados ordered online by the box was growing. He said selling this way was more satisfying than seeing contractors, drivers and retailers clipping the ticket along the way.

Because of Covid-19, many people were avoiding supermarkets, he said, which helped drive demand for home deliveries.

 

Read More here…

Vintage machinery enthusiast recreates photo to mark milestone

A man with a passion for vintage farm machinery has recreated an image of his 100-year-old grain binder from the 1930s to celebrate its century of service.

Nigel Gamble, of Totara Valley, near Pleasant Point in South Canterbury, thought the best way to celebrate that milestone was to turn back the clock to 1933 and recreate an image of the binder at work.

With the help of his friend, Ian Urquhart, Gamble decided to recreate a photo of the machine taken in action at Orari Gorge Station – with Urquhart providing the 1924 Ford tractor.

Gamble believes the binder he now owns is the same machine in the black and white photograph.

“It’s something Ian and I have talked about for a few years now,” Gamble said.

“The binder turns a hundred this year, and we thought it would be a nostalgic way to celebrate it.”

Read More here…

Omicron: Wine industry welcomes new critical workers’ exemption

With harvest around the corner and an unprecedented labour shortage, the Government’s new exemption scheme will help the wine industry, said New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan said..

The new scheme revealed by the Government on Thursday enables close contacts to keep going to work instead of isolating if they return a daily negative Rapid Antigen Test (RAT).

This will come into effect at phase two of the Omicron plan, when case numbers increase significantly, which is likely to happen within two weeks as the spread of the virus accelerates.

In addition, close contacts who work alone can continue to operate in a bubble of one.

“Our focus is ensuring that our people can continue to work, or can return to work as quickly as possible,” said Gregan.

Read More here

Kiwifruit growing licences not subject to council rates

A group of Kiwifruit growers has won a ratings battle against the Gisborne District Council, with a tribunal concluding that licence fees for G3 Gold Kiwifruit cannot be counted as improvements to the land and would therefore not subject to ratings.

The standoff between growers and council began after the Gisborne District Council included licence costs for the G3 gold Kiwifruit in rating valuations for orchards in the region in 2020. This decision meant a significant increase in rates for growers, with some reporting up to 300 per cent increases as a result.

NZ Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI) did not agree with the council that licences were an improvement to land.

Tim Tietjen, from Bushmere Trust, supported by the NZKGI, brought a case before the Land Valuation Tribunal in 2021. This month the tribunal agreed the council was wrong to include the value of gold kiwifruit licences in its assessment of capital value.

Read more here…

Australia

Harvest 2021 reaches the end of the line

OVER the course of the 2021/22 harvest, Western Australian farmers delivered enough grain to CBH Group sites to fill Optus Stadium 17 times over.

The co-operative officially called the end of harvest last Thursday after receiving a record breaking 21.3 million tonnes.

That number surpasses the previous record in 2016/17 of 16.65mt and is 50 per cent more than the five-year average of 14.2mt.

Of the 130 sites that received grain, 40 set new highs for tonnes delivered in one day and 54 exceeded their previous record for total tonnes delivered to the site in one harvest.

CBH acting chief operations officer Mick Daw said the harvest had exceeded all expectations.

Read more here…

GrainCorp boom continues

GRAINCORP continues to take advantage of the near ideal grain growing conditions through its east coast footprint, this week announcing beefed up earnings advice.

The bulk handler said it expected full year 2022 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) in the range of $480 – 540million, a big step up from FY21’s $331 million.

It is a similar story for net profit after tax (NPAT) with a forecast of a FY22 underlying NPAT2 of $235 – 280 million, up from $139 million for FY21.

GrainCorp managing director Robert Spurway said the strong outlook reflects a big year for the company’s supply chain business, continued delivery of operating initiatives, and high global demand for Australian grain and oilseeds.

“GrainCorp delivered an excellent result in FY21, and I am pleased to report that we expect this performance to be further improved in FY22,” Mr Spurway said.

He said the results were not just down to the good grain growing conditions.

 Read more here…

Green Atlas’s orchard mapping examined for effectiveness in WA

A PROJECT will evaluate the effectiveness of orchard mapping and monitoring technology to see if it has commercial viability for Western Australian orchards.

The WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and Pomewest, a sub-committee of the Agricultural Produce Commission, have joined together to undertake a pilot project at a commercial apple orchard near Manjimup.

The one year project will examine the technology developed by Australian company Green Atlas, which uses a combination of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) remote sensing data and digital images to map and monitor orchard growth, with in-kind support from local supplier Aero Vines.

The project is evaluating the use of the technology to inform orchard thinning and improve the management of the number of fruit on trees, known as crop loads.

Read more here

December grain exports climb

Grain exports kicked in December as new season’s shipments begin to find their way into overseas markets.

Government trade data showed that Australia shipped 2.22 million tonnes of wheat, more than 1mt of barley and 288,000 tonnes of canola in December. Combined December wheat, barley, and canola exports of about 3.5mt were around 850,000t higher than November.

A further 80,000t of sorghum was also exported in December, with most of this shipped out of Queensland ports.

Australia’s combined wheat, barley and canola grain shipments are expected to top 4mt in January. Shipping stem data indicated that Australia’s grain exports will be operating at full capacity in January and are expected to maintain this pace well into 2022.

Read more here…

CBH stats outline monster WA harvest

FINAL receival statistics from Western Australian bulk handler CBH back up the extent of the record harvest in the west.

CBH last week reported it had taken 21.3 million tonnes for harvest with receivals virtually finished.

This smashes the previous record into the CBH system of 16.7m tonnes in 2016-17 and is around 50 per cent higher than the long term average of 14.2m tonnes.

Of the 130 sites that received grain, 40 set new highs for tonnes delivered in one day and 54 exceeded their previous record for total tonnes delivered to the site in one harvest.

CBH acting chief operations officer Mick Daw said the figures exceeded all expectations.

Read more here…

South America

Excellent prospects for Mercosur beef exports, except Argentina

The Argentine beef industry is optimistic about world meat production and global demand this year, with China again playing a leading market role. A report issued by Argentina’s Rosario Stock Exchange (BCR) and the Mercado Ganadero Department (Rosgan), world beef production will reach 58 million tons, representing a 1% increase over 2021.

This prospect would reverse the downward trend seen in 2021, mainly because of the recovery of the meat-packing industries in Brazil and Australia, the world’s first and third-largest meat exporters, respectively.

As for the global flow of imports, the expected average, according to analysts at BCR/Rosgan, is 10 million tons, which would imply an increase of 2.7% compared to last year.

China, which reduced the pace of international beef purchases in 2021 to 950,000 tons compared to more than 1.1 million tons in 2020 will once again represent 32% of global consumption. According to BCR/Rosgan, China accounted for 13% of global meat demand in 2017.

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Argentina Slashes Corn Harvest Outlook Over Drought

Argentina’s Buenos Aires grains exchange cut its forecast for the country’s 2021/22 corn harvest to 51 million tonnes on Thursday, down from its previous estimate of 57 million tonnes due to drought that has singed crops in recent months.

According to Reuters, the South American country, the world’s second largest exporter of corn and the top seller of processed soybeans, suffered a prolonged drought from December to mid-January and concerns are rising again about a new dry spell.

“The drop in expected yields in the early planted areas of the grain leads us to cut our harvest projection by 6 million tonnes,” said the exchange in a weekly report, adding rainfall would be key to maintain the new forecast. “Rainfall in the remainder of February will be key to sustaining this volume.”

Last week, the exchange reduced its estimate for Argentina’s soybean crop 2021/22 by 2 million tonnes to 42 million tonnes due to the dry weather at the start of the year.

Read More here…

Brazilian rains slow soybean harvest, help second crop corn

The soybean harvest continues to move swiftly in Mato Grosso, reaching 50% complete this week, with the second crop of corn following close behind at nearly 45% complete. Rainfall continues to envelope most of the state this past week and more rain is forecast for this weekend. While this may slow up the soybean harvest, overall these rains are welcomed as it guarantees solid germination for what has been planted so far for the second crop of corn. 

The soybean harvest pace is slightly above the historical average and so stopping for a couple days is not a material issue. Due to the sandy soils and no-till system, farmers could receive an inch of rain and still being out in the field the next day with enough sunlight.

Bears would point out that Mato Grosso is looking for a record planted area of second crop corn — 15.5 million acres. Additionally, there are still at least 11 days left in the ideal planting window for second crop corn. We consider Feb. 20 to be the end of the ideal planting window. That is not to say you cannot reach target yields beyond that, but the risk increases each day as the rainy season begins to slow down before the growing season has ended. 

Read more here

Conab cuts Brazil 2021-22 corn output forecast to 112.3 mil mt

The reduction in the 2021-22 corn production forecast was primarily due to drought, mainly between November and December 2021, in the southern states of Brazil, which was expected to lower the yield of the first corn crop.

Corn yield forecast for the first corn crop has been cut to 5.39 mt/hectare for 2021-22, from 5.495 mt/hectare in the January report.

The first corn crop in Brazil is planted during September-December and harvested February-May, while the second crop is planted February-March and harvested June-July.

Conab also cut its 2021-22 corn export forecast to 35 million mt from 36.68 million mt.

Brazil is one of the top three exporters of corn in the world.

Read more here…

Food Updates

Data shows millions in the UK have experienced food insecurity recently

New data released by the Food Foundation reports that 8.8 percent of households (4.7 million adults) have experienced food insecurity in the past month.

Research by the Food Foundation reveals that 4.7 million adults in the UK have experienced food insecurity in the last month, with one million adults reported that they or someone in their household has had to go a whole day without eating in the past month because they couldn’t afford or access food.

The Food Foundation has put this forward as evidence that soaring energy and food prices, along with the removal of the £20 uplift to Universal Credit, are having a devastating impact on millions of people across the UK.   

The research showed that over 60 percent of households have experienced higher energy bills, and 16 percent of UK households have had to cut back on the quality or quantity of food to afford other essentials. 

Read more here…

Should we embrace upcycled food?

As the need to be ‘green’ becomes ever more present, New Food’s Editorial Assistant, Abi Sritharan, investigates the challenges and opportunities of using surplus ingredients to create upcycled food products.

You’ve probably heard of the term upcycling – it is most commonly referred to when someone renovates a piece of old furniture – but have you heard of upcycled food? If not, you’re not alone; a 2021 study published in Food and Nutrition Sciences revealed that only 10 percent of consumers were familiar with this term. Interestingly, the research also uncovered that once acquainted with the concept of upcycled food, 80 percent would seek out such products.

Similarly, in a more recent poll by New Food, 43 percent of readers stated they did not know what upcycled food is, while 41 percent said they would – or do – purchase upcycled products.

Read more here…

USDA to publish rule allowing serving of flavoured milk in schools

The International Dairy Food Association has announced its support of the US Department of Agriculture’s final rule maintaining low-fat, flavoured milk in schools.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will allow school meal operators participating in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program to continue serving low-fat flavoured milk to students through the 2023-2024 school year without needing to secure a waiver.

“The announcement from USDA clears up several years of confusion and takes a positive step toward restoring more varieties of milk to the school meals program”, said, Michael Dykes, D.V.M., President and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), in a statement. “The final rule allows schools to continue to serve milk that students prefer to drink while remaining consistent with the Dietary Guidelines. The rule gives clarity to school meals professionals and food makers as they plan ahead amid supply chain challenges, and it will improve students’ access to dairy products”.

 Read more here…

Food prices are soaring and here’s why

World food prices are soaring and approaching record levels that were last seen over a decade ago. This news won’t come as a surprise to many as warnings and discussions around price hikes continue to dominate our news and socials feeds, but what was once hearsay has now transformed into our bleak reality. The price increases have arrived – and have become somewhat more noticeable over recent months.   

In fact, data from Kantar shows that in December alone, the four-week grocery price inflation stood at 3.8 percent, with the average monthly household food bill increasing by £15 or more during this period. In a previous Chris’ Corner, I predicted – unfortunately correctly – that this would be the case.

My forecasts were based on three main factors. Firstly, the major retailers I spoke to were already seeing costs increases and knew that this could only be absorbed by themselves and their supply chains for a short time. Secondly, the fallout of the pandemic was likely to result in massive increases in transportation and labour costs due to border closures, lockdowns and illness – and did. The third reason was around the number of reported crop failures we’d been seeing across many parts of the world due to our ongoing climate crisis. 

Read more here…

Research claims UK adults shun essential jobs, including those in food

Research claims that sectors critical to putting food on the table and looking after people’s health are at risk as working age adults shun many of the essential jobs that keep society running including food production and logistics to health and social care.

New research from leading skills development organisation, City & Guilds, claims that adults of a working age do not apply for essential jobs in the UK. The research finds that despite key workers seeing the nation through the pandemic, the UK’s most vital industries are being threatened by growing skills shortages, as poor reputations and concerns about low pay turn off potential new recruits.

Based on an Opinium survey of 10,000 working age people in the UK and economic analysis from labour market economists, Emsi Burning Glass UK, data found that, on average, only a quarter of the UK’s talent pool are interested in key worker jobs. This is despite essential roles accounting for half of all UK employment opportunities, demonstrating the gap between the jobs society needs people to do, and their desire to do them, according to City & Guilds.

Read more here…

USA and Canada

Soy slump delivers a dose of realism to proponents

Soybeans have faced a sobering slap down in Western Canada.

From being lauded as the next Cinderella crop and projected by some to assume a core role in most farmers’ rotations, the crop has experienced a big slump.

Rather than hitting three million acres in Manitoba, which many expected by now, the crop’s acreage has fallen to about 1.3 million acres, or one million fewer than in 2017.

A host of issues have hit growers: repeated years of drought; low protein leading to discounts; troubles marketing the crop; high seed costs crushing margins.

However, the industry still believes better times lie ahead for the crop.

Read More…

Growers urged to go slow with lupin production

The pulse crop has significant potential, but researchers are still attempting to solve significant agronomic challenges

Lupin is a promising crop that will likely get a foothold on the Canadian Prairies, but more research is needed into the pulse before this can happen.

“I just want to caution the industry right now to not move too quickly. There’s so much demand and so many questions about lupin seed, and I just want everybody to hold their horses if they wouldn’t mind while we figure out some of these questions,” said Robyne Bowness Davidson, a pulse specialist at Lakeland College.

Bowness Davidson, who has been working with lupin since 2004, said the crop can have protein levels of up to 40 percent, which is much higher than any other pulse crop grown on the Prairies.

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Farming Input Costs Are Rising – How Producers are Managing the Risk

Farmers enjoyed rising crop prices in 2021, but rising input prices across the board are eating into producer profits.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts net farm income rose 20% in 2020 relative to 2019, and is forecast to be up 23% in 2021. However, with higher costs across the board for inputs, farmers are cautious going into spring planting and are reviewing their risk-management strategies to protect income.

In December, the Ag Economy Barometer from CME Group and Purdue University revealed that 57% of surveyed producers said they expect farm input prices in 2022 to rise by more than 20% compared to 2021. Nearly 40% said they expect input prices to rise by more than 30%.

Economists at the University of Illinois estimate positive farmer returns for 2022, at $61 an acre for corn and $67 an acre for soybeans. However, that is down considerably from 2021’s projected returns of $378 an acre for corn and $305 for soybeans.

Read More…

Will North Dakota corn wet milling plant give the region’s farm economy a boost?

GRAND FORKS, North Dakota — The Fufeng Group Ltd. wet corn milling plant proposed in Grand Forks has potential to benefit the region’s agricultural industry, but whether that happens depends on the answers to an abundance of yet-unanswered questions.

In November 2021, Fufeng Group Ltd., a Chinese-based bio-fermentation company, chose Grand Forks from among four U.S. locations that were finalist for locations to build a wet milling corn plant that would initially have capacity to process 25 millions bushels of corn annually.

The wet corn milling processing plant, which is proposed to be located on a 370-acre site in northwest Grand Forks, primarily would manufacture food additives, animal feed and other products, according to Keith Lund, Grand Forks Region Economic Development president and CEO. The plant’s finished products would be the amino acids lysine and threonine, which are an essential ingredient in animal nutrition formulas.

Read more…

Canada’s common wheat exports fall 29% on week, durum wheat shipments rise

Canadian common wheat exports fell 29% week on week to 187,100 mt in the week ended Jan. 9, Canadian Grain Commission data released Jan. 16 showed.

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Exports of the food grain fell in the week to Jan. 9 as wheat prices globally declined and demand for crops from other origins increased. Export prices of Canadian wheat have also seen some volatility amid choppy trade in the past two weeks, traders said.

However, exports of durum wheat rose to 19,600 mt in the week to Jan. 9 from 13,100 mt the week before, the data showed.

Durum wheat exports over Aug. 1-Jan. 9 totaled 1.2 million mt, down more than 52% from the same period of of MY 2020-21.

Read More ...

New Zealand

Red meat exports reach record $10 billion in 2021

New Zealand’s red meat sector exports reached $10 billion last year, a 9 per cent increase compared to 2020.

Meat Industry Association (MIA)​ figures show that for the month of December 2021, the value of red meat exports was up 22 per cent on December 2020, at just over $1 billion for the month.

The 2020 annual value of meat exports was $9.2b.

China is New Zealand’s largest beef export market. It took 46 per cent of exports for the final quarter, followed by the US and Japan.

Despite no change in the volume of beef exported to China for the 2021 final quarter compared to the 2020 quarter, the dollar value of those exports rose by a third.

Read More here…

Horticulture sector: Border reopening comes too late

Antony Young campaigned for a highway. Now his farm is in its path and he is preparing for a final pick.

The popular Noho Blueberry Farm is one of many properties on land designated for the Ōtaki to north of Levin expressway project.

Young, who owns the orchard with his wife Nancy, said this summer would be their sixth and final picking season.

The farm itself had been around longer. Some of the 1000 blueberry bushes, on about a hectare of land, had been in the ground about 40 years.

They were in the process of negotiating the sale of their property with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

Read More here…

Collar tech allows farmers to draft cows remotely

New technology is giving farmers the ability to draft their cows without needing to be anywhere nearby.

Agritech firm Halter’s collars allow cows to be moved through sound and vibrational currents.

Halter company manager Steve Crowhurst​ said expanding that to allow remote drafting was a “wow moment” for farmers and a world first.

“The collar device takes thousands of readings from a cow and can identify issues more quickly than what would be observed in the milk shed for example,” Crowhurst​ said.

“We are able to get what we call a cowgorithm, which is a full status report on an individual cow.

“Cows are drafted, or separated, for a number of reasons, namely the springers, on heat or for sickness. They might need extra feed, they might need to be assessed for lameness, or they might need to be artificially inseminated during mating.”

Read More here

Despite the lure of high prices, dairy farmers may be accepting lower production levels, by being less tempted to use off-farm feed supplements like PKE. High prices make that choice easier

Following on from Fonterra lifting their forecast farm gate price (mid-point $9.20 per kg MS) Synlait have followed suit with a forecast price of $9.25. (See here.)

As well as both listing international demand as the major reason, Fonterra added the lower production figures for the year as a contributing reason while Synlait added that the lowering NZ$ as a major reason. Synlait’s next update will be in May.

The latest Global Dairy Trade auction held yesterday reinforced the companies’ decisions by lifting +4.1% and WMP leading the way with a +5.8% lift.  Product prices are shown below with the New Zealand price at todays US dollar value, [0.6648] in brackets.

• Butter index up 3.3%, average price US$6,359/MT ($9,565)
• Ched index up 2.4%, average price US$5,684/MT ($8,550)

Read more here…

Australia

Australia’s sprouted wheat is an Asian market option

INTERNATIONAL feed grain buyers are receiving expert advice on how to incorporate sprouted wheat into animal rations, following a wet Australian harvest in some areas, resulting in sprouted crops.

Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) chief executive officer Richard Simonaitis said they quickly moved to support Australian grain traders and international customers with technical information on the use of sprouted wheat for animal feed.

“Sprouted wheat is actually equivalent to non-sprouted wheat in nutritional value for animal feed, unless the sprouting is extensive,” Mr Simonaitis said.

“In most cases, sprouted wheat can be used freely as a feed component, as long as all the standard quality parameters are in place.

Read more here…

Cotton crop tipped to be second biggest on record

THE Australian cotton sector is set to consolidate its post-drought renaissance with forecasters tipping the 2021-22 crop to be the second best on record.

Cotton Australia says favourable conditions across most of Australia’s cotton growing regions mean production estimates sit at 5.2 million bales, almost ten times larger than the drought impacted 2019-20 crop of 590,000 bales.

As well as good irrigated cotton plantings with solid water allocations there is also a significant dryland cotton plant.

Cotton Australia chief executive Adam Kay said after a reasonable crop in 2020-21 of 2.8m tonnes this year’s forecast product was set to boost the nation’s cotton sector.

He said it had not been a perfect season with slightly dry conditions through January in some parts and floodplain flooding in others causing yield reductions but he added many growers were pleased.

Read more here…

High input costs and supply chain challenges stack up

WITH seeding in Western Australia just around the corner, higher than normal input costs are front of mind for growers and the significant supply chain challenges across the globe aren’t doing anything to allay those fears.

Freight services worldwide have increased in cost and become increasingly hard to source, reliability of shipment dates has reduced and production of crop protection active ingredients has been constrained in key countries.

Combine all of that together and the agricultural chemical industry is facing never before seen challenges when it comes to global supply chains.

Nufarm Australia commercial general manager Peter O’Keeffe said there were a few factors at play starting with global supply, as molecules including 2,4-D and glyphosate have been tight globally in the second half of 2021.

Read more here

Numbers on feed likely to stay over the million head mark

The shift in producer mindset towards selling younger males to feedlots rather than feeding them out on grass to processor rates is expected to continue as grain-fed beef demand goes from strength to strength.

Last year, for the first time ever, 50 per cent of domestically consumed beef was from lot-fed cattle.

Numbers on feed have now been above the 1 million mark for 15 consecutive quarters and analysts believe it’s unlikely they will ever again drop below that.

Feedlots are currently buying more than 50pc of Eastern Young Cattle Indicator eligible cattle.

Meat & Livestock Australia’s February cattle industry projections show feedlot capacity is at a record level of 1.4m head, with utilisation at 77 per cent.

Read more here…

Global Dairy Trade records 4.1pc increase at February 1 auction

Export dairy prices continue their hot trot with another price leap at the Global Dairy Trade auction on Tuesday night.

The GDT index was up 4.1 per cent with all commodities posting increases.

The $US4630 a tonne average price is the highest since March 2014.

Westpac senior agri economist Nathan Penny said the jump in prices built on the gains from the previous auction.

Prices were up 12pc on the start of the year, with the key whole milk powder price up 9pc.

Read more here…

South America

Paraguay foresees worst soybean harvest in 25 years

The Union of Production Guilds Paraguay Wednesday said it foresaw 2022 will be a tough year for the agricultural sector due to the current drought which will mean, among other setbacks, the worst soybean harvest in the last 25 years, or US $ 2 billion less to the country’s economy.

Union of Production Guilds leader Héctor Cristaldo said that in December there was a rainfall deficit which was already beginning to be noticed. Based on that, the worst scenarios was projected, resembling that of 2012, with only 1,367 kilos of soybean per hectare harvested. Inin 2021, output stood at 2,800 kilos per hectare and that was already worrying, Cristaldo explained.

“Now that the harvest is advanced, 80% in the south, 70% in the center of the Eastern Region and 30% in the north, we are below that number and a harvest that is going to have a strong impact on the entire movement of foreign currency income for the country, more than US $ 2 billion“ which will impact logistics and the entire economy nationwide, Cristaldo added.

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SOYBEANS END STRONG WEEK WITH MORE GAINS

Soybeans were higher on fund and technical buying, capping off a week of strong gains after Thursday’s pause, with March hitting multi-year highs. Traders continued to watch weather in South America, with further reductions in yield estimates expected. According to one private firm, significant amounts of beans in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay have been lost to the hot, dry weather associated with a La Nina pattern, which will shift a lot of attention and export business to the U.S. and could lead to an increase in U.S. planted area in 2022. The Rosario Grain Exchange has Argentina’s soybean crop at 40 million tons. Argentina is the world’s biggest exporter of soybean products, while Brazil has the top spot for soybeans. Unknown destinations bought 295,000 tons of U.S. beans, mostly old crop. The announced sales total for the week was 936,000 tons, combined old and new crop, all to either China or unknown destinations. Soybean meal was higher and bean oil was lower on the adjustment of product spreads. India says it will place limits on the amount of oilseed and vegetable oil supplies held by processors and traders to limit further price inflation and hoarding. India is the world’s largest importer of vegetable oils.

Read More here…

Brazil’s Jan soybean exports at 2.47 mil mt dwarf 50,000 mt a year earlier

Brazil’s soybean exports surged to 2.47 million mt over Jan. 1-30 from 49,498 mt a year earlier, the country’s foreign trade department Secex said in a report Feb. 1, likely supporting local oilseed prices.

The country is the world’s biggest soybean producer and exporter, and the bulk of its soybean exports in January were to China, the world’s largest soybean importer, according to local traders.

Brazil’s soybean harvest for crop year 2021-22 (September-August) started well ahead of the typical schedule, supporting export volumes, with the harvest in the states of Mato Grosso and Parana almost three weeks ahead of last year’s pace.

Agricultural consultancy AgRural said Brazil’s harvest had reached 10% of the projected area of 40.4 million hectares by Jan. 27, up from 2% a year earlier.

Read more here

Small Brazil harvest drives U.S. soy buys

Soybean buyers stung by a smaller and slower harvest than expected in Brazil are turning to the U.S. for supply, driving up prices and threatening to worsen food inflation.

What was expected to be a record crop in Brazil is now looking far smaller, with lower yields and harvest delays caused by adverse weather catching traders and end-users shorthanded. The uncertainty has driven buyers into the U.S. market.

More than 110 ships have been chartered on a preliminary basis to load crops at ports in the Pacific Northwest, according to Bill Tierney, chief economist for AgResource Co. in Chicago.

The rush by traders and financial players has driven up futures in Chicago by 30% since early November to an eight-month high, with the premium for July contracts over November surging eight-fold.

Read more here…

Food Updates

Can fortifying foods with fibre reduce the risk of disease?

A new study has found that increasing the fibre content of everyday food items could lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.Increasing the fibre content of everyday UK foods, such as baked goods, dairy products, soups and smoothies, will enable 50 percent more adults to get the recommended daily amount of fibre in their diets and lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes for the majority of UK adults claims a new study by Tate & Lyle PLC.In the study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, scientists from Tate & Lyle, worked with specialist data analytics company Crème Global, to find the effects of reformulating everyday foods with added fibre. According to their research, adding more fibre to food reduced the risk of cardiovascular and type 2 diabetes risk for 72 percent of the adult population, and saw six percent of the UK population lose weight due to the higher fibre consumption.Read more here…

Picture warnings on sugary drinks may help fight obesity, study suggests

A new study has examined whether pictorial health warnings on sugary drinks influence which beverages parents buy for their children. global average.

A study published in the journal PLOS Medicine assessed whether health warnings in the form of pictures on sugary drinks — like juice and soda — influence which beverages parents buy for their children.

The study found that these warnings reduced parental purchases of sugary drinks for their children by 17 percent.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health ran the study in a unique laboratory called the ‘UNC Mini Mart’.

Read more here…

A side of plastic: what can we do to stop it getting into our food?

The ocean contains thousands of pieces of plastic that could be entering some our favourite dishes, but what can you do to help?

Did you know that the average Londoner buys more than three single use plastic (SUP) water bottles every week? That adds up to be an eye-watering 175 bottles every year per person, making that a grand total of 7.7 billion plastic bottles purchased across the UK every year. Not only is this a huge contributor to SUP waste, but it is now impacting our surrounding ocean and the marine life that live within it.

Recent data collected by the PADI AWARE Foundation, a non-profit working with recreational SCUBA divers, shows that there is now eight million pieces of plastic entering the ocean every day, with 46,000 pieces of plastic in the ocean per square mile.

Read more here…

Plant pathologists leading fight against damaging corn disease tar spot

Tar spot causes millions of corn bushels to be lost each year, but now a group of pathologists are hoping to limit the disease’s spread.Scientists from institutions across the US, Canada and Mexico have come together in a bid to halt the spread of tar spot, a disease which affects corn yields across the American continents.Foliar disease tar spot has had a significant impact on corn production around the world. Between 2018 and 2020 in the US alone, the disease resulted in a loss of 242.6 million bushels of corn – and this number is expected to grow after the 2021 season.Tar spot in corn was first spotted in Mexico in 1904 and spread to 15 additional countries throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean. In 2015 the disease was detected in Indiana and Illinois, and since then it has spread to a further eight states as well as southwest Ontario in Canada.

Read more here…

Does offering more meatless options result in a permanent switch?

A study looking at thousands of cafeteria meal choices has found that increasing the vegetarian options also increases the proportion of plant-A new research study published in the International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, tested menus from a university cafeteria, a workplace cafeteria and an online survey to examine the impact of altering the availability of meat-free meals on meal selection.The online study used a representative sample of 2,200 UK adults and found that when three of four meal options were meat-based, 12 percent chose the plant-based option. But when three of four meal options were vegetarian, 48 percent chose the vegetarian meal. The effect was the same whether the participants were female or male, rich or poor.A similar result was found in an Oxford University cafeteria, which had chosen to switch from a mostly meat-based menu to one that was mostly plant-based.

Read more here…