First published September 23, 2024. On September 21, 2024, Marathon County in north-central Wisconsin marked the Ginseng Festival to celebrate ginseng root production. The county is famous as the source of the bulk of Wisconsin’s American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). For example in 2017, central Wisconsin’s harvest represented 98% of all American ginseng, according to Wausau Daily. 2024’s...
Originally published September 23, 2024. South Korea’s napa cabbage (Chinese cabbage) prices spiked 69.1% year-on-year on September 19, 2024 to 9,337 won ($6.99) apiece. The governmental Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation attributed the rise to a summer heat-related supply dip. The hefty price could impact the cost of the staple pickled cabbage dish known as kimchi. Foodies blame the price...
Originally published September 19, 2024. The government has promised wheat farmers in Zimbabwe cash payment in U.S. dollars to help them reinvest. Producer prices for the 2024 crop will be at $450 a tonne for regular and $470 for premium wheat. Though less than 2023’s import price of $485 per tonne, the new rate is...
Originally published September 18, 2024. A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Australia and the United Arab Emirates on September 17, 2024 heavily favors bilateral agricultural trade. The new deal expels 99% in export tariffs and will save Australia some A$135 million ($91.57 million) in its initial year. Agricultural goods will be best positioned for savings because eight of Australia’s...
Originally published September 18, 2024. Alaska fisheries, the largest by production volume in the United States, are increasingly experiencing production swings and court battles. One front is a court case on stoppage of troll fishing and another front is the decline in chum salmon catches. The last mention is reminiscent of the 2018-2021 mysterious disappearance...
Originally published September 18, 2024. The Southern Peanut Farmers Federation (SPFF), which includes the Georgia peanut sector, is pushing for a new Farm Bill. The SPFF delegation alongside tens of other crop bodies met with Congressmen in Washington D.C., to agitate a new bill. Their aim is to prevent further extension of the 2018 Farm Bill, a fortnight...
Originally published September 17, 2024. A May to July 2024 fishing ban has recouped the sardine stock in Lake Tanganyika, with supplies now offsetting prices. Nestled on the western border of Tanzania with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Burundi, Lake Tanganyika is the world’s second largest freshwater lake by volume. According to a...
Originally published September 16, 2024. At 500,000 twenty-pound boxes more than in 2023, the 2024 Pacific Northwest cherry season has ended in a boom. The harvest returned 19.2 million 20-ib boxes, 17.7 million of which from Washington state. This output cured fears at the start of the harvest in June that heat might again lead to a decline....
Originally published September 16, 2024. Ag plans are becoming the heart and soul of the November election, with Trump and Harris offering completely different plans. The two contenders filled in their agricultural policies in a mid-September 2024 questionnaire by the American Farm Bureau Federation. In the quiz, the former president champions his America-first tariff approach while...
Originally published September 14, 2024. After much wait, cocoa farmers in Ghana have officially earned a 2024-25 seasonal price increase to 48,000 cedi ($3,062) a tonne. This 45% season-to-season increment follows an earlier announcement of an intention to improve the farm-gate rate. Arguably, the farmers will now earn 3,000 cedi ($191.40) for a 64-kg bag when dealing directly with...