Six major pork plants in the U.S. have received an extra 90-day trial period using the controversial accelerated production method.  The previous trial was to have ended November 2023 but for the timely intervention of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  Reuters reports that the extension revives a Trump-era law that ended in 2021 on food safety concerns via a court ruling. Since...

Australia’s beef and mutton have attracted a significant price tumble just ahead of a possible El Niño summer.  Aussie beef cattle have been netting a meagre A$ 2.20 ($1.46) a kilo since October 2023. This is a 150% drop from the 2021 high of A$3.50 ($2.12) per kg. For sheep, producer rates have fallen from the A$6.50 ($4.31) peak of 2021 to A$4.50 ($2.98)...

Farmers in Mindanao island in the Philippines will receive governmental seeds and fishing gear following the 6.8-magnitude earthquake of November 17, 2023 that disrupted their agricultural livelihoods. The Department of Agriculture began the mitigation process by distributing vegetable seeds, banana sprouts and coconut seedlings on November 28.   Currently, 1000 banana stocks are up for distribution as well as 1000 hybrid...

One of the most productive alfalfa states in the United States, Arizona, is facing intense groundwater shortage from foreign alfalfa-growing leases.  The state prides in its above-average 8.2 tonnes per acre yield while the national average is 3.5 tonnes per acre.  Most of the water scarcity has hit Cochise county, at the centre of whose alfalfa plantations are three firms from the Middle-East.  Locals have...

A Lincolnshire canning factory has canned the first ever baked beans from haricot beans modified for the British climate. A multi-year genetic modification process made them suitable for local soil and climate. The first harvest took place in September 2023 on a Lincolnshire county farm, with Princes factory getting the initial consignment. This is good news as Britons consume 2 million tins...

Amid infrastructure woes couple times in 2023, South Africa has managed flat returns in citrus exports, 1% above 2022’s returns. According to the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA), national citrus exports clocked 165.1 million cartons in 2023. This was 5 million cartons shy of the over 170 million that CGA had projected for the 2023 calendar.  The shipment quantity is...

The grain harvest in South Dakota is almost over, with sorghum 90% complete according to USDA data of November 20, 2023. The crop, which many farmers have already rated ‘good’ is behind by 9% the harvested volume of November, 2022. The delay owed to high moisture levels during spring sowing, though farmers still planted their crop between June 1 and September 30....

Universiti Malaya (UM) experts have found links between lion’s mane mushroom and therapy that may help heal neurodegenerative ailments. This at a time when Malaysia’s September harvest has just ended while the winter mushrooming season in the Northern Hemisphere is at its peak. The sub-species Hericium erinaceus is of particular interest to both sides of the world as it is native to North...

The super pig population in Canada has blown up to unmanageable levels and threatens to expand into the United States. What is a super pig? “Super Pigs” are hybrids of huge domestic hogs and the best specimens of the wild boar.  The genetic combination of the best of both worlds makes these species survive better than typical pigs. While the ancestors of the wild...

UK’s pig prices are in free-fall amid rising carcass weight and falling pork demand in the third week of November. Pig carcasses lost 0.9 pence to settle at 213 .48 pence per kg on 18th November for the standard pig price (SPP) category. The price for the previous week ending 11th November was  213.57 pence a kg.  All Pig Price (APP) margins fell slightly by -0.41%...