USA and Canada

Canadian farmers face canola, wheat crop failure

Manitoba Manitoba: Canada’s canola and wheat crops are facing failure as farmers suffer from continuous drought.

The most important Canadian rapeseed crops used in the production of cooking oils and animal feeds mature weeks early due to the extreme heat witnessed in the region. Early crops may not produce pods containing small dark seeds crushed for oil.

The Canadian prairie grows more canola than any other part of the world.

Farmer Andy Keane fears that only 20 percent of regular rapeseed crops can be harvested.

“My canola is hanging on a thread,” said Keane, 42, as Reuters reported.

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Not all bad news for US wheat

WHILE the focus has been on the poor crop in the Pacific Northwest and the declining conditions in the Dakotas, the wheat crop in the US is not all poor.

In a recent update US Wheat Associates market analyst Michael Anderson said the soft red winter wheat (SRW) crop, grown primarily in the east of the country’s major grain growing belt was looking good after receiving timely rainfall and a mild growing season.

Mr Anderson said the crop was on track for good yields, with the percentage of SRW crops rated in good to excellent condition 50 per cent in Arkansas, 49pc in Missouri, 74pc in Illinois, 78pc in Indiana and 74pc in Ohio.

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USDA announces changes to cover crop harvest rules

WASHINGTON — Agricultural producers with crop insurance can hay, graze or chop cover crops for silage, haylage or baleage at any time and still receive 100% of the prevented planting payment, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Tuesday, July 6.

Previously, cover crops could only be hayed, grazed or chopped after Nov. 1; if they were used earlier the prevented planting payment was reduced by 65%.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency added this flexibility as part of a broader effort to encourage producers to use cover crops, an important conservation and good farming practice. Cover crops are especially important on fields prevented from planting as they help reduce soil erosion and boost soil health.

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Shortage of slaughterhouse space costing meat buyers, farmers alike

Cattle farmers in the Ottawa Valley say a bottleneck at Ontario abattoirs is driving beef prices up and their own profits down.

Limited availability in abattoirs is a longstanding problem in the region, but COVID-19 outbreaks and shutdowns at meat processing plants throughout the pandemic have brought the situation to a head.

“The best way to describe it is that the province has allowed … monopolies on the larger slaughter plants,” said Joe Wilson, president of Ottawa Beef Farmers.

“And with the COVID-19 issue, those slaughter plants had to be closed down a couple of times in the last few months because they can’t keep staff in the buildings. So that kill space isn’t there to supply the demand.”

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Kiwifruit grower Seeka invests in agritech business Fruitometry

As National Agricultural Statistics Service weekly reports show deepening drought, a Florence, S.D., crop insurance adjuster explains how his yield assessments of oat and wheat crops in northeast South Dakota are allowing drought-struck farmers to decide whether to cut small grains for feed forage or take them to harvest — often with a reduced expected grain yield due to the drought. Includes weekly NASS summary from South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Montana.

With a general drought with occasional rains, crop insurance clients were weighing whether to keep cereal crops for a reduced grain crop, or whether they’re likely to make more money taking it for a forage.

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New Zealand

Kiwifruit grower Seeka invests in agritech business Fruitometry 

New Zealand’s largest kiwifruit grower, Seeka, has made a $2.6 million investment in agritech business Fruitometry.

Seeka announced the investment on the New Zealand Stock Exchange on Friday morning.

Fruitometry provides digital services to orchardists and pack houses using artificial intelligence, which can estimate the volume of a fruit crop by scanning orchards.

It could measure the amount and the growth of fruit row by row throughout the growing season, Seeka said.

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The ‘cut-throat’ industry of New Zealand beekeeping

A veteran beekeeper has barely made enough profit as he watches prices of New Zealand honey continue to plummet.

John Berry​, a third generation Hawke’s Bay apiarist, with more than 50 years experience with bees, has had an “OK” season, but is doubtful he’ll make a profit this year from clover or bush honey.

Unlike the rest of the world, New Zealand doesn’t have a bee shortage. In fact, it has too many bees. But as the mānuka industry continues to boom, other beekeepers face fierce competition, varroa and wasp invasions.

Berry said he knew of beekeepers in Hawke’s Bay and across the North Island who simply abandoned their hives, as they couldn’t afford their upkeep.

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Kiwi company breeds team of Jersey bulls designed for hot climates in world first

A New Zealand company is helping boost milk production in some of the world’s hottest nations with a world-first team of Jersey bulls bred to be more tolerant to heat.

The dominant slick gene makes hair shorter, wetter and shinier than other breeds and keeps cows 1-degree cooler.

“The slick gene will give a Jersey cow the ability to expel that heat easier and that translates into still being able to eat and turn that food into milk,” says Thermo Regulatory Genetics CEO Derek Fairweather.

Read more here…

Zespri’s Approach to Unlicensed Kiwifruit Falls Through

On July 2, New Zealand’s kiwifruit industry announced the voting results of a proposition to commercialize SunGold (Gold3) kiwifruit grown without authorization in China. The final results showed that 70.5% of growers supported the primary resolution to conduct a one-year orchard monitoring, procurement, and sales and marketing trial of the kiwifruit.

Despite this high level of support, a 75% threshold was needed for the proposition to pass under New Zealand’s Kiwifruit Export Regulations. However, the vote still indicates widespread support for the cooperative proposal among New Zealand’s kiwifruit growers.

New Zealand’s kiwifruit industry regulatory body, Kiwifruit New Zealand, oversaw the process of obtaining votes from growers for regulatory approval of the proposition.

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Greenpeace pushes for lower groundwater nitrate level

Greenpeace is urging regional councils to lower the limit of allowable nitrates in groundwater, which they say poses a cancer risk.

Water testing of locals’ bore water found Mid-Canterbury’s water was “loaded” with nitrate contamination, according to the group.

The current limit in New Zealand follows the World Health Organization guidelines, for 11.3mg per litre of water.

But Greenpeace campaigner Steve Abel said recent studies show an increased bowel cancer risk when nitrates are above 1 milligram per litre, and an increased risk of pre-term birth.

The environmental group offered free water testing in Ashburton and tested over 100 samples.

Read More here…

Australia

Wine Australia announces record vintages for 2021

AUSTRALIA has achieved a record vintage, with the national wine grape crop reaching 2.03 million tonnes for 2021.

But, unlike the usual situation in agriculture, this record crop has also been met with an increase in prices – now the highest in 13 years.

The Wine Australia National Vintage Report 2021, released today, showed there was a significant increase in the crush in all wine-growing states, driven by “near perfect growing and ripening conditions across most states and regions”.

It follows on from two years of low vintages, with the 2021 crush up 31 per cent on 2020, and 19pc above the 2019 vintage. It is also 17pc higher than the 10-year average.

Read more here…

Producers aim for nitrogen sweet spot

EXPORT oaten hay growers should be mindful of their crop’s nitrogen sweet spot as seasonal conditions indicate good yield potential.

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) researcher Georgie Troup said nitrogen decisions made now would influence oaten hay quality.

There was a consistent relationship between increasing nitrogen and decreasing quality.

Research from the National Hay Agronomy Project in 2019 and 2020 demonstrated the ideal application of nitrogen fertiliser to strike a balance between quality and quantity was 60 to 90 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare in the eight tonne per hectare production zone.

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Unlocking valuable barley root secrets from the air

IN ORDER to unlock the secrets of what is happening underground in barley crops researchers are taking to the sky.

A joint project between the University of Queensland, Australian National University and barley breeders Intergrain will look at the best method of improving barley root architecture with a view to improving yield stability, particularly in dry years.

UQ associate professor Lee Hickey is leading the study and said that it was important to understand more of what happens in the soil to potentially figure out processes that could lead to yield gains.

“For a century, plant breeders have focused on what happens above the ground in terms of adapting crops to diverse production environments,” Dr Hickey said.

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Rising beef retail prices fails to curtail at-home demand

BEEF retail prices are now very close to an all-time high but still at-home consumption continues to grow.

While some analysts, and butchers, believe prices can not go higher without significant consumer backlash, there appears to be little to support the likelihood of the cost of steaks and mince easing in the near future.

In fact, at a time of skyrocketing cattle prices and strong global demand for Australian beef, processors say domestic consumers have been shielded from far higher prices due to the need to retain abattoir workforces.

Rabobank calculations from quarter one Consumer Price Index figures for Australia show that the average Australian retail price for beef was $23.87 a kilogram.

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Early warning on bloat, thanks to new app

Beef producers have a new tool to help in the management of bloat, with a free app providing an early warning system of cases in their area.

The Bloat Alert app has been developed as part of Charles Sturt University research into bloat in southern beef production systems and is available for iPhone users from the App Store.

Research leader, Charles Sturt Professor Bruce Allworth said beef producers can use the app to report cases which will then alert other producers that bloat is occurring in the area.

“Knowing that bloat is occurring locally gives producers a heads-up that they need to check their cattle and possibly initiate or increase preventive measures,” Professor Allworth said.

Read more here…

South America

Argentine grain industry says government dredging bill raises export costs

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The costs of Argentina’s grain exports would increase under a new government bill in which ships would pay tolls to the state rather than to the company dredging the Paraná River, industry members said Monday.

The Argentine government disagrees, saying the proposal is in fact intended to lower logistical costs while increasing the country’s agricultural production.

This is the latest chapter in a long-running saga of Argentine farmers and exporters opposing government interventions in the sector. Dredging the waterway is considered an advantage for the country over rivals Brazil and the United States, which rely on less efficient trucks and barges.

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More on that corn-killing frost in Brazil

A three-day frost that took place last week in the South Western states of Brazil in Parana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Sao Paulo, Brazil, as well as Paraguay, are leading to lower corn yield projections.

Yield losses directly related to the frost are difficult to estimate, but according to Corteva, corn plants are extremely sensitive to frost, depending upon what stage they are in.  Yield loss can reach as high as 66% in R4 stage. Most corn in Parana was in the R5.5 stage, where yield loss could reach 10%.  Corn needs to reach R6 before it can withstand damage from frost.

Based on last season’s safrinha corn crop, 43% percent of the corn originated in Mato Grosso.  This year will be over 50% as Mato Grosso has avoided most of the dry weather (but not all of it).

Read More here

Rural producers stage protest against Argentine government policies

A massive demonstration by Argentine rural producers convened Friday in the town of San Nicolás de Los Arroyos in the province of Buenos Aires to celebrate Independence Day and express their disapproval of the policies undertaken by the administration of President Alberto Fernández.

Although no political party was supposed o be behind the mobilization, former Security Minister under Mauricio Macri and current PRO chairwoman Patricia Bullrich staged a much-criticized appearance after arriving on horseback.

Carrying Argentine flags and banners, thousands of agricultural producers gathered at kilometre 228 of Route 9 (Buenos Aires Rosario) under the motto “Citizens mobilized in defence of production, work and education.”

Read more here

Food Updates

Why we’re moving towards healthier ice cream

With the British ice cream market expected to reach a value of £3.5 billion in 2021, the iced confection sector is clearly the place to be. Jess Salamanca and Lydia Dronsfield from Banana Scoops ask why healthier ice cream is on the rise.Recently, we have witnessed a sharp rise in the number of ‘healthier’ ice cream options available on the market. Between 2015 and 2019, the number of low-sugar ice creams launching globally increased at a CAGR of 48 percent. In 2018, the global artisanal ice cream market – handmade ice creams made solely from natural ingredients and free from artificial preservatives – was valued at $6 billon. This latest health trend is undoubtedly a response to consumer demand, with a vast number of consumers committing to leading healthier and cleaner lifestyles.

Read more here…

Majority of Brits don’t know calorie content of their drink claims research

New research from the Alcohol Health Alliance has revealed a distinct lack of knowledge among British consumers around nutritional and health guidelines when it comes to alcoholic drinks.

Health experts are calling for better alcohol labelling as new research from the Alcohol Health Alliance suggests that most of the public do not know the nutritional information of popular alcoholic drinks. The research also showed that the majority of Brits do not know the Chief Medical Officers’ (CMO) drinking guidelines and were unlikely to look beyond the label in order to find health information on alcohol.

A new poll from YouGov asked the public to estimate how many calories were in a number of popular drinks.

Read more here…

Healthier foods three times more expensive than unhealthy options

The Food Foundation’s Broken Plate report has revealed some alarming gaps between rich and poor households when it comes to the quality and nutritional value of the food they are consuming, while some campaign groups are already calling for more legislation for unhealthy foods.

Healthier foods are nearly three times more expensive calorie for calorie than less healthy foods. That’s according to the Food Foundation’s Broken Plate 2021 report, which has revealed some large disparities between rich and poor communities when it comes to nutrition in the UK.

According to the report, the poorest fifth of UK households would need to spend 40 percent of their disposable income on food to meet Eatwell Guide costs, as opposed to just seven percent for the richest fifth.

Read more here…

European packaged food industry facing crucial H2 new report says

Senior analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Duncan Fox thinks changing consumer habits towards local food has changed the way the industry will operate in the future.The European packaged-food industry faces a pivotal second half of the year, with accelerating inflation and potentially new normal consumer behaviour.

According to Bloomberg Intelligence’s Europe Packaged Food 2021 Outlook, if inflation turns out to be transitory, the inability to boost volume and pricing simultaneously since 2015 remains in place, unless companies such as Nestlé and Danone can convince consumers to start eating away from home again where margins are higher.

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Scientists find a use for wasted hops not used to brew beer

Researchers from Japan have found a way to utilise part of the hop plant wasted during the beer brewing process, by forming cellulose nanofibers from the leftover biomass.

Everyone knows that hops are a key ingredient in almost every style of beer brewed around the world. Yet what might not be as well-known is the amount of wastage that can arise from the brewing process. Yet researchers from Japan have developed a way to use the remainder of the hop plant by upcycling that waste hop into cellulose nanofibers (CNFs).

In the past few years, craft beer-making has exploded in popularity around the world, including many beer styles that make use of many more and different types of hops than conventional commercial beers.

A traditional preservative in beer, hops also add a rich bitterness and impart floral or citrus aromas and flavours. As a result, hop production hit a record high in 2019.

Read more here…

The impact of Covid-19 results in an increase in food safety testing parameters. Consumers are slowly getting conscious of the nutritional facts and quality of products being introduced to their bodies. The volume of food production is increasing following the nutritional demands of consumers; hence all market players are deliberating food products that would give consumers the maximum nutritional value with an economical cost, safety, and quality.

USA and Canada

North American spring crops in poor condition

THE weekly United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Crop Progress Report, released on Monday night each week, revealed two major factors impacting wheat prices last week.

The first is that the winter wheat harvest is finally gathering pace, with 17 per cent of the crop in the bin.

While this lags the average pace of 26pc, new supplies are hitting the US market, and peak harvest pressure on the market is just around the corner.

Chicago Board of Trade (CBoT) Soft Red Winter wheat futures have come under harvest pressure, and while the May price lows, and the June lows to date, may hold, harvest is becoming a factor in preventing the market from moving aggressively higher.

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US Industry Taking Action on Fresh Blueberry Retail and Promotion in China

With fresh U.S. highbush blueberries having received market access to China in 2020, the product is set to have its first formal promotional activities in China this year. On June 17, the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council kicked off its inaugural China campaign with a webinar and virtual meet-and-greet between U.S. blueberry growers/exporters and Chinese retailers. Despite the challenge of a high tariff rate, both U.S. exporters and Chinese importers/retailers expressed an eagerness to work together to bring fresh U.S. blueberries to China.

The event was moderated by Alicia Adler, vice president for global business development at USHBC, and featured welcome remarks from Chris L. Bielecki, deputy director at the USDA Agricultural Trade Office in Beijing.

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Soybean rise to US $ 532 a ton in Chicago

The price of soybeans sprang back to above US $ 500 in the Chicago market Wednesday after a US $ 33.2 rise fueled by a new report on stocks and planting from the Department of Agriculture of the United States (USDA).

As the new document featured data operators had not foreseen, July’s figures increased 6.64% (US $ 33.16) to US $ 532.78 per ton, while the August position grew 6.74% (US $ 33.16 ) to settle at US $ 525.43 per ton.

The cereals market also registered a strong increase, with a jump in corn of 3.67% (US $ 10.04) which placed it at US $ 283.45 per ton; while wheat showed a growth of 4.96% (US $ 11.67) at US $ 246.73 per ton.

The new USDA report showed an area planted with soybeans of 35.43 million hectares for the new season in the US, almost 600,000 hectares below market projections, of 36.01 million hectares on average.

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Canadian beef sector targets German market

Exporters attempt to find ways to improve on the $61,000 worth of sales it made to the European country last year

With a population of 83 million and the fourth largest economy in the world, Germany is an attractive market for Canada’s agri-food industry.

Some agricultural producers, like Canada’s maple syrup sector, have had success in the German market. In 2019, Canada exported $42 million worth of maple syrup to Germany.

That’s positive, but other agri-food exporters haven’t been as successful.

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Expect Higher Seed Corn Prices this Fall

Most farmers understand that the price of seed corn tends to go up during good economic times on the farm. Gary Schnitkey at the University of Illinois used the state’s Farm Business Farm Management records to quantify this idea.

“What we did was to look at the seed corn cost and two things (stand out). The first is that generally during higher expected revenue periods seed corn costs tend to rise. We saw rising revenues in 2020, and expect this to continue into 2021 and this would lead us to believe seed cost will rise in 2022.”

The ag economist expects seed corn costs to increase by $6 to $10 per acre. Since 1975 Schnitkey says seed costs as a percentage of expected revenue per acre has been increasing. “It started as four percent in 1975. So, in 1975 seed costs as percent of expected revenue was four percent and now we over ten percent.

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New Zealand

Meat industry nears critical shortage of halal butchers, other staff

A $3.5 billion-dollar export industry is at risk if the country does not get more halal butchers, the Meat Industry Association says.

Sirma Karapeeva, the association’s chief executive, pressed Parliament’s primary production select committee on Thursday for urgent help to bring in more migrant halal workers for the upcoming processing season.

The shortage is part of a wider labour shortage. Karapeeva said every year the industry swelled its ranks with about 500 unskilled workers to free up seasoned workers. But this year the country was short about 2000 workers, skilled and unskilled.

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Kiwifruit growers vote against Zespri’s effort to commercialise unlicensed Chinese fruit

Kiwifruit growers have voted against Zespri’s proposed trial to commercialise unlicensed SunGold kiwifruit that is being grown across China.

Zespri signed a memorandum of intent with a Chinese state-owned enterprise in November to buy and brand the SunGold kiwifruit being grown without its agreement in Sichuan Province. Zespri hoped the deal would allow it to commercialise some of an estimated 5400 hectares of SunGold kiwifruit being grown in China on vines that were stolen from the company.

But the company – after considerable effort and support from the government – has failed to receive the support of 75 per cent of the industry’s 2792 growers, as required under its regulations, to proceed with a one-year trial of the commercial arrangement.

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Govt inquiry into seafood industry focuses on migrants

The Government has launched a ministerial inquiry into the use and allocation of migrant labour in the seafood sector.

Oceans and Fisheries Minister David Parker said Covid-19 border restrictions had highlighted the need to attract more New Zealanders into fishing and processing.

“Some businesses in the sector have reduced their reliance on migrant workers since border restrictions were imposed, but some deep sea vessels in particular are still 100 per cent foreign-crewed,” he said.

“The inquiry will do a stocktake of the current state of the seafood sector’s workforce and determine what a more resilient seafood workforce – with a greater proportion of New Zealanders ­– could look like, and how this might be achieved.”

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South Island hill and high-country sheep farms are big and profitable but have limited options

In previous articles, I first described the North Island’s 4000 commercial hill-country farms (Beef+Lamb Classes 3 and 4). Subsequently, I wrote about the approximately 4400 intensive sheep and beef farms that are spread across both North and South Islands (Beef+Lamb Classes 5, 6, 7 and 8). That left the story of 620 South Island hill-country farms and 200 high-country farms to be told here. It is a contrasting story.

The combined number of South Island hill and high-country farms is modest, comprising less than ten percent of the 9200 commercial sheep and beef farms in New Zealand. However, these farms comprise more than one third of New Zealand’s total sheep and beef grazing area.

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Food, sustainable food: We’re anxious to buy it, but where’s the beef?

Kiwi consumers are increasingly demanding food that is ethical and sustainable. However, hurdles remain including pricing and access, as Chris Marshall reports.

Wholly Cow Butchery can trace beef, lamb and goat products from pasture to plate.

Owners Tom and Carrie Andrews have an abattoir and a retail butchery shop, and farm the animals on their own 186-hectare property using holistic land-management practices.

“You know the beef you’re killing is 100 per cent yours, and it’s pretty much stress-free,” said their son Luke Andrews, who manages the butchery.

Read More here…

Australia

Crop prospects high across virtually all key grain growing regions

AUSTRALIA is on track for another big crop if the current seasonal conditions continue throughout the remainder of the growing season.

As true winter sets in across the nation only an area of the Mallee across South Australia and Victoria, along with parts of the small broadacre cropping region in Central Queensland have markedly below average season prospects.

Unusually many parts of Queensland, NSW, eastern Victoria and Western Australia are on the cusp of being too wet, especially with short days and low evaporation rates.

There is a significant rain bearing system due to deposit over 25mm in the next week over much of the Darling Downs and northern NSW and in contrast to recent years many farmers are hoping to avoid the rain.

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Wool campaigns prove popular

COVID induced marketing campaigns by Australian Wool Innovation have increased gross merchandise values and woollen garments sold across the world.

AWI director Don Macdonald told the MerinoLink audience the peak wool body identified China’s economic recovery before any other key wool markets, and they acted on it.

“Of that 60 per cent dedicated marketing founds we recognised it wasn’t the time to pour money into projects that we believed wouldn’t yield,” Mr Macdonald said.

Read more here…

Dairy Situation and Outlook June 2021 report reveals big lift in dairy confidence but only modest growth tipped

Dairy farmer confidence levels have leapt in the past year on the back of good seasonal conditions and strong milk prices that have lifted farm profitability levels.

But the improved confidence has not translated into increased national milk production, with minimal change in the past 12 months.

Dairy Australia’s June 2021 Situation and Outlook report released on Wednesday pointed to high beef prices and strong land values as continuing to encourage dairy farm exits.

And it said labour shortages were a big concern for dairy farmers across the country.

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Bleaching concerns surround new herbicide

FARMERS have expressed concern regarding the performance of FMC’s new herbicide Overwatch, in particular in regard to excessive levels of bleaching in crops treated with the product and with potential concerns about off-target damage.

FMC always noted that there was likely to be some level of crop bleaching with the Group Q product, which was released to much hype as a new mode of action to combat ryegrass, but farmers are worried the impacts have been more severe on the crops sprayed than they anticipated.

As well as the in-crop concerns there are worries about what appears may be off-target damage to nearby crops.

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Cattle shortage pushes offal, hide prices up

HE global shortage of cattle is making itself felt in the offal market, combining with ongoing ramped-up demand on the back of the pandemic to push prices significantly higher that year-ago levels.

Most beef co-product prices are higher than month-ago and year-ago levels, with tongue, lips, cheek and tails leading the charge, while sheep hearts have been in strong demand.

Hides, too, continue on a sharp upward rise. In some categories, the increase year-on-year is now as much a 8100 per cent, with the hide price lifting from 25 cents a piece to $20.50.

he latest Meat & Livestock Australia co-product report shows heavy Victorian hides are now making as much as $49 each.

Read more here…

South America

Uruguayan meat processing plant may resume shipments to China after labelling incident in April

The Uruguayan BPU meat processing plant has been cleared to resume exports to China as of July 1 after it was banned April 9 due to a mislabelled shipment, it was announced Thursday.

The lifting of the sanctions brought relief to BPU, who allocates 70% of its output to that market.

BPU’s sales to China had been suspended on April 9, when an error was found by the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries in the labeling of the boxes, which led to the dismissal of of two officials and somehow added to the cauases of removal of Livestock Minister Carlos Uriarte earlier this week.

Read More here…

Argentina says producers have sold 23 million tons of 2020/21 soybean crop

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Argentina’s producers have sold 23 million metric tons of soybeans from the 2020/21 season after recording transactions totaling 518,800 tons last week, the Agriculture Ministry said Tuesday in a report updated to June 23.

The pace of soybean sales is behind that of the previous season. At the same time last year, 25.8 million tons of soybeans were sold, according to official data.

According to the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange, Argentina’s current 2020/21 soybean crop is estimated at 43.5 million metric tons, compared with 49 million metric tons harvested the previous season.

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Frost causes corn loss in Brazil

A mass of cold air has hit Brazilian regions where safrinha corn (second crop corn) is produced, and although it is early to say because the frost just happened this Monday and Tuesday, producers are indicating that at least 50% of the production is suffering – some farmers even risk saying yield losses of 70% to 90%.

The mass caused a strong frost to arrive in the mid-south region of Brazil. Frost formations like these have not been seen in the country for a long time. Such weather also damaged coffee and sugar cane productions in São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Paraná.

The corn production of Paraná state that was already impacted by the dry weather throughout the season now faced frost and temperatures reaching 24 F, very low and atypical for the tropical Brazil. There is no doubt: the impact of the cold will reduce even more the size of this year’s corn harvest.

Read more here

Food Updates

The flavour challenge of plant-based

The plant-based market may be booming, but challenges in terms of matching their meat counterparts may leave innovators feeling at a loss. Sound familiar? Here’s what to do…The European plant-based market is expected to reach a value of €18.3 billon by 2023, so it’s certainly a worthwhile investment…if you can meet the challenging demands of the consumer.

Kerry research shows that 37 percent of plant-based protein consumers in Europe want better tasting products and 26 percent want a better range of products to choose from. However, the balancing act between masking and overdosing is a precarious balancing act.

Read more here…

Study confirms heart health benefits of Mediterranean diet

Researchers in the United States have confirmed the prevalent belief that a Mediterranean style diet can help protect against heart diseases.

With almost one in nine deaths in America attributed to sudden cardiac death (SCD), researchers sought to identify more precise links between diet and heart health. The Mediterranean diet has been widely praised for its abundance of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and unsaturated fat, giving it a reputation for providing good health and long life.

The results of a long-term study in the US, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association JAHA, have identified the greater the adherence to a Mediterranean diet, the less likely you are to suffer cardiac arrest.

Read more here…

Battle of the snacks: healthy or indulgent?

New Food’s Editor, Bethan Grylls, examines the polar opposite trends of indulgent and healthy snacks and places her bets on how the future will unfold.

We’ve been seeing two distinctly opposing trends running parallel with equal success over the last couple of years. On one side of the ring is the healthy snack – flooding our social media feeds as much as the exercise influencer’s next HIIT routine – and on the other is the decadent snack, oozing indulgence and offering comfort during tough times.

So how has this happened and which snack will win the hearts of consumers?

Read more here…

Europe’s soft drinks industry makes ambitiou

UNESDA, representing Europe’s soft drinks industry, has announced new health and nutrition commitments, including a pledge to reduce average added sugar in soft drinks by an additional 10 percent by 2025.This latest drive to help consumers manage their intake of added sugars via soft drinks will mean a 33 percent overall reduction in average added sugars over the last two decades.

“This additional 10 percent reduction in added sugars underlines our sector’s collective proactivity and determination to contribute to healthier and balanced diets in Europe,” said Ian Ellington, UNESDA President and Senior Vice President and Chief Category Officer at PepsiCo Europe. “We will continue to bring innovation and choice to consumers as we implement this pledge.”

Read more here…

The sustainable future of food in the workplace

The catering industry is responding to an increased focus on health, wellbeing and sustainability. The challenge: to provide wholesome food that meets crucial corporate social responsibility targets, while answering consumer demand for nutrition. Ryan Holmes considers whether seasonal supply chains and plant-based diets hold the answer.

Utilising British supply chains: an essential in 2021

We are all used to seeing an unseasonal array of produce practically everywhere we go to buy food. The UK is reliant on imports, which account for just under half of the total food consumed across the nation.¹ The main exporter of food to the UK is the EU, with Africa, North America, South America and Asia exporting roughly the same amount each (in 2019, this accounted for 12 per cent of food consumed in the UK). Each year, the value of food imports to the UK is billions greater than British exports.

Read more here…

Robots is an increasing demand in the agriculture sector in the past few years. Harvesting crops is the traditional application of robots, but technology is revamping the ways to help farmers grow their crops at ease and a lower cost. Apart from harvesting applications, recent years introduce robots or drones for cloud seeding, sowing seeds, weed control, soil analysis, and environmental monitoring. Research says that by 2025, the agricultural robots’ market could potentially reach USD11.58 billion in value.

Agricultural robots can be identified as early as the 1920s, which led to considerable developments in the 1950s to 1960s. Agricultural robotics were based on a cable system, not until the 1980s, where computerized machine vision was developed. Recent developments generate reports on the health of crops, their size, number of fruits, quality, and how much produce will it deliver at the end of the season. Robot developers use sensors that identify weeds, detect and pick crops at the right stages, and estimate the volume of herbicides to be sprayed. Using this method helps agronomists to breed better crops in the future.

Benefits of Using Agricultural Robots

Agricultural robots can now help farmers pick fruits, drive tractors and sprayers, and even shear sheep without human labor, minimizing their time and cost. Robots further have the ability to prune plants, weed, water/spray, and monitoring the entire farm in a single monitor or device. In livestock applications, robots can be used in automatic milking, cleaning, and castrating.

Using agricultural robots not only benefits the farmers/growers but also consumers alike by producing fresh products, decreasing manual labor, which leads to lower production costs. Additionally, robots minimize the danger of hazardous chemicals be in contact with manual laborers. It further reduces the heavy tasks done by farmers while using manual tractors.

The development of drones can provide extensive information on crop health. Its lenses can zoom in on the crop seedlings to detect when the fruits and vegetables are right for picking without the human workforce. Latest robotics surpass the traditional automated weeders in the market by using high-power lasers to remove pests in plants without disturbing the plants and ground.

Every year, technology and robotic firms introduce different approaches to industrialize the responsibilities in the farm. Earlier this year, a robotic firm in the United States announced the flying independent robot that uses artificial intelligence to determine ripe fruits and pick them all day. Drone equipment is becoming more popular, which allows farmers to monitor their crops and livestock from above.

The future of research and development in agricultural robots is a wide analysis yet to be developed. The human population is rising each year and farms are becoming less due to commercialized lands. To feed the population, agricultural giants are now researching to develop robotics or tools to estimate crop yields considering lesser lands, limited resources, and climate change. However, feeding a growing population today doesn’t mean more opportunities in the agricultural professions. Although robotics gives a new dimension to agriculture, it gives a big impact on the farm workforce. By 2029, the agricultural manpower is expected to drop by 6%, which job declines have already started in the US for years.

New Zealand

Fruit sticker ban comes as a surprise to industry

A 2023 deadline to phase out the use of plastic fruit stickers has come as a surprise to the fruit-growing and packaging industry.

Environment Minister David Parker announced that a range of single-use plastic items, including hard to recycle food and drink packaging, cotton buds, straws and fruit labels, would be phased out by 2025. The items will be phased out in three stages between late 2022 and July 2025.

Parker said the timing of the ban was intended to strike a balance between the public’s call for action and the need for businesses to seek alternatives.

But packaging manufacturer Jenkins Freshpac said the 2023 timeline for stickers, used to brand and otherwise identify produce, was too short.

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Timaru’s 100% Pure New Zealand Honey supreme winner in National Honey Competition’

A Timaru honey producer is the toast of the beekeeping industry after taking home eight medals at Apiculture New Zealand’s national honey competition, including the supreme award.

“We came so close in 2019, so it feels good to finally win the award,” 100% Pure New Zealand’s operations manager Jarved Allan told Stuff.

“And we’ll do it all over again next year,” he claimed.

“The 18 years I have worked at 100% Pure NZ Honey mastering what we do to showcase this top shelf product has contributed to winning this award.”

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Tax hike adds a sour note to small wineries facing tough times

Wine producers already doing it tough now have another hurdle to face, with an excise tax of $2.33 per bottle being added on from July 1.

Reaching approximatively $28 per case (12 wine bottles), the excise take from an average bottle of wine is more than what a grower would get paid for his fruits, said a wine industry head.

A major concern with this increase is the impact it will have on the approximately 300 small wineries who only sell in the domestic market, said New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan.

“They (small wineries) have already been hit hard by the lack of international tourists post-Covid, surging production costs, and the difficulties being experienced in the hospitality sector.

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Tomato disease halts New Zealand exports to six countries

Pepino mosaci virus (PepMV) – which can affect the yield of plants and delay fruit growth – was found in an Auckland greenhouse in April and has spread to three other commercial sites.

The virus, which is found in China, parts of Europe and the Americas, is highly contagious and can be spread on crates, tools, clothing, and by bumble bees.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has notified Australia, Japan, Thailand, Fiji, Tonga, and New Caledonia about the disease affecting New Zealand tomatoes, because these countries consider PepMV a quarantine risk.

MPI had temporarily suspended export certification to these markets, the ministry’s response controller David Yard said.

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Farmer confidence rises as agricultural sector cheered by higher prices

Farmers are feeling more confident on the back of rising prices for agricultural products, according to the latest quarterly Rabobank rural confidence survey.

After 10 consecutive readings at negative levels, the survey turned positive in the first quarter of this year, and edged up further in the second quarter with overall net confidence at 13 per cent, up from 10 per cent.

The number of farmers expecting the rural economy to improve in the next 12 months increased to 32 per cent, from 29 percent, while those expecting it to worsen remained at 19 per cent. Those expecting similar conditions slipped to 50 per cent from 53 per cent.

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Australia

1000 overseas workers will be needed for harvest

WHILE the Federal government’s announcement of a new agricultural visa has been welcomed by some industries, particularly horticulture, it is not a silver bullet and won’t help to address chronic labour shortages in the grains industry.

The new Seasonal Agricultural Workforce Visa, announced by Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud last Wednesday, would enable workers from the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nations to work in Australia for up to nine months for three years in a row.

News of the visa was met with joy from all facets of the horticulture industry which has been calling for the solution for many years.

However, bringing in fruit pickers and meat packers from ASEAN countries won’t help to address the shortfall of 1000 experienced heavy farm machinery operators which are predicted to be needed for harvest in WA this year.

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Dollar shifts drive optimism

Last week’s Australian wool market moved up a bit – or a lot, depending on which currency you were operating in.

In local dollar terms, prices were significantly higher due to the Australian currency remaining below the US0.76 cents handle during the selling week.

Overseas customers buying in US Dollars were able to either get more “bang for their buck”, or pay a bit more in Australian Dollars.

The Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) lifted 20 cents a kilogram for local growers.

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How your dairy farm may benefit from a gas hot water system

If you operate a dairy farm, you’re most likely aware of the fact that not all hot water heating systems are created equal. In fact, as reported by the Australian Energy Foundation, annual running costs for the most common types of hot water systems vary greatly, as do their levels of efficiency.

While all businesses in the agricultural industry have unique energy requirements, dairy farms in particular benefit from adopting reliable energy systems that can be engineered, specified and installed to meet their specific needs. That’s why so many dairy farmers rely on LPG gas as an adaptable fuel to keep their businesses growing.

When it comes to trusted LPG gas providers, companies such as Elgas support Australian dairy farmers by providing access to LPG to help reduce overall costs and emissions. 

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Southern Qld farmers optimistic of big harvest

Favourable weather has southern Queensland farmers eyeing off one of the best winter crops in several years.

Timely painting times and regular rain through the growing season have allowed crops to flourish across south western Queensland and through the Darling Downs. Many farmers are saying crops are the best at the start of July since 2016, which ended up being a memorable season for the right reasons.

Few areas have missed out. Crops are thick and dense in the expansive cropping areas around Dirranbandi and Thallon where farmers are preparing for a second consecutive big harvest.

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Aussie grains sector slaps down UK claims on pesticide use

THE AUSTRALIAN grains industry has resounding slapped down allegations from British lobby groups that the proposed Australian – United Kingdom free trade agreement will disadvantage British farmers because of what they claimed were Australia’s less stringent chemical standards.

Groups such as the Soil Association, an organisation with links to the organic sector, and the Pesticide Action Network, came out with claims that Australia’s environmental standards were lower than the UK and pointed to larger numbers of chemical registrations as examples of this.

However, Matthew Cossey, CropLife Australia chief executive said this argument was based on a flawed assumption.

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South America

Brazilian Government announces increased funding for agribusiness

The Government of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Tuesday launched what was called “The Harvest Plan 2021/2022” for which funding worth R$ 251.2 billion (US $ 50.6 billion) for national agribusiness was allocated.

The new financial support is 6.3% higher than the previous allocation, it was reported.

The announcement was made during a ceremony at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia by Bolsonaro and government officials.

According to Brazilian authorities, R$ 177.78 billion will be for funding and marketing and R$ 73.4 billion will be for investments. The latter portion of the budget was raised by 29%.

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Argentina expects a 19 million tons 2021/22 wheat harvest, with 12 million tons for export

Argentine wheat exports should reach 12 million tons in the 2021/22 winter harvest, according to a new estimate released by the Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange. If confirmed, the volume, the highest since 2016/17, will be 26.3% above this season’s production.

The increase is mainly due to the expectation of production growth, projected at 19.15 million tons, compared to 17 million in 2020/21. In this scenario, the internal wheat milling should also grow in 2021/22, by 8.3%, and reach 6.5 million tons. This also means the country will have a larger than usual surplus for export.

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Demand for soy puts pressure on Pantanal, Brazil’s largest wild wetland

• Global demand for soybean has seen annual production of the crop in Brazil soar from 30 million tons in 2000 to 125 million tons today. Most of the agrochemicals consumed in Brazil are used on this crop.
• Soybean farming also accounts for most of the agrochemicals used in Brazil, and the farming activity concentrated in the state of Mato Grosso is now seeing those chemicals washing downstream to the Pantanal wetlands.
• The planet’s largest floodplain, the Pantanal is relatively untouched by agriculture, with only 0.01% of its area occupied by soy farms.
• Scientists have shown that waterways feeding the Pantanal are contaminated and silted up, and that fish are growing scarce in certain locations.

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Food Updates

Top of the flavour charts

Want a taste of what’s trending? New Food’s Editor interviews Kerry Taste & Nutrition’s Christina Matrozou to find out about the current and emerging flavour trends of 2021.

Earlier this year Kerry Taste & Nutrition released its annual Taste Charts, which uncovered the flavours and ingredients that are set to inspire innovation and taste excellence across the food and beverage sector.

“The Taste Charts delivers a tool that enables product developers, marketeers and foodies around the world to unfold the lifecycle of taste,” Christina Matrozou, Marketing Manager Taste Europe and Russia, Kerry Taste & Nutrition, Amsterdam, told New Food.

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Potato and rice protein shakes viable alternatives to whey says study

The study claims potato and rice protein could be just as filling as their whey counterparts, yet they reduce insulin spikes for those who need to monitor blood glucose levels carefully.

A study from the Centre for Nutraceuticals at the University of Westminster found that plant-based protein shakes may be potential viable alternatives to milk-based whey protein shakes, particularly in people with need of careful monitoring of glucose levels.

The study, published in the journal Nutrients, suggests that potato and rice proteins can be just as effective at managing appetite and can help better manage blood glucose levels and reduce spikes in insulin compared to whey protein.

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Football’s secret weapon: Robson-Kanu talks food as medicine

Former Premier League and international footballer International footballer Thomas ‘Hal’ Robson-Kanu talks about food as medicine and explains how turmeric turned his career around.

Everybody has a theory when it comes to sports nutrition, from marathon runners consuming vats of pasta before a race to aspiring boxers knocking back raw eggs in a bid to build muscle. While the science behind most of these practices is perhaps dubious, there is one ingredient that more and more of the elite sporting world is turning to: turmeric.

Indeed, that vibrant spice that many keep at the back of their cupboard does, in fact, have a range of benefits for athletes and mere mortals alike.

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Are all proteins created equal?

New research claims that animal-protein sources provide a greater net gain of protein over their plant-based counterparts, and should therefore not be considered equal.

Protein is essential to human health and nutrition. That won’t come as news to anyone, yet with the rise of plant-based diets seemingly unstoppable, plenty of research recently has been dedicated to assessing how comparable plant-based protein is with its animal counterparts. Yet one group of scientists claims that, based on recent research, plant-based proteins should not be considered equal of a substitute for animal-based protein.

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) published an “ounce equivalents” recommendation to help consumers meet protein requirements with a variety of protein food sources.

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Technology innovation to help end chick culling

An effective combination of innovative technology could be the solution to a global issue in ethical food production – chick culling.

The global demand for animal protein continues to increase. As a result, poultry and egg producers have modified their practices over the years to improve efficiency and boost production. Because of their successful use of technology advances, eggs that might once have been an expensive commodity have become a low-cost, widely available source of protein. As an unintended consequence however, some of the practices used to increase production have introduced ethical challenges that are only now being addressed.Male chicks do not ultimately produce eggs and are not a favoured source of meat. For this reason, hatcheries work to make sure that costly resources, such as food and space, are only used for female chicks that are of the highest value to the industry.  

Read more here…