Arabica coffee futures in New York touched a historic $4 per pound on February 5, 2025, amid predictions of oncoming price relief. This highest price ever beat the November 2024 record of $3.3545 a pound, which in turn had eclipsed a 1977 record. The commodity’s prices rose and fell twice on the 5th after they’d first edged 4.6% day-on-day into the record....
A climate information purge ongoing at USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to remove landing page climate information, a task that began January 31, 2025. According to an ABC report, internal emails by the agency instructed the removal of ‘climate change’ phrases from landing web pages. Later, Fox News detailed how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also scrubbed its drop bar for environmental topics from its website....
Tariff ensemble comes for Canada, Mexico, China
A tariff war is back after the United States slapped Mexico, Canada and China with import tariffs. President Trump called China’s bluff by imposing an immediate 10% tariff on all imports, starting February 4, 2025. This is short of the aggressive duty of 60% he had promised during the 2024 election campaign. China, which could retaliate, currently exports $355.3 billion more goods to the United States...
The Zimbabwe cotton sector predicts a bumper 2025 season
The Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (COTTCO) has forecast a fruitful season for the 2025 Zimbabwe cotton crop, thanks to good rainfall. Rainfall has been evenly distributed January though February smack on a late planting season after poor El niño saturation. Changing weather necessitated farmers to plant past the usual October timing for the Lowveld and November for the Highveld areas....
Agriculture secretary pick Rollins advances past committee test
President Trump’s agriculture secretary nominee Brooke Rollins passed the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee barrier by 23-0 votes on February 3, 2025. The unanimous decision means that the agriculture pick is all but clear as she awaits Senate’s final confirmation. Her immediate reaction was to cite her honor to immediately start defending American farmers and ranchers. Collins has been setting out...
Wind farms in South Africa “provide a substantial income to the local community”-Red Cap Energy
South Africa has made inroads in the wind energy sector due to a ruggedly open coastline. Tapping air currents fanning this open landscape through wind farms is economically promoting climate-smart agriculture and earning landowners rental income. To learn more about the blossoming turbine network and its impact on farming, Selina Wamucii contacted renewable energy leader, Red Cap Energy. The office first shows how corporate...
Sugar in Pakistan still expensive despite inflation slowdown
The Economic Coordination Committee (EEC) is ruing pricey sugar in Pakistan that has stayed put despite a slump in national inflation. During an EEC meeting on February 3, 2025, the committee found that halfway through financial year 2025, inflation has dropped to 7.2%. In the corresponding period through the October 2023-September 2024 financial year, inflation was at a steep 28.8%. The...
Wahoo fishing gears up with a Cayman Islands’ showdown
Wahoo harvesting in Cayman Islands is an interesting commercial pastime, and 2025’s season continued thrillingly with a 2,500-dollar fishing contest. At 8 a.m., February 2, 2025, Kat Watkinson and Julius Hubbell won the HoosWho competition after landing a 64-pound monster, reports Cayman Compass. Watkinson, a veterinarian by profession, described the win simply as “the first bird catches the worm.” In fact, the winning...
Afghan agriculture makes inroads in irrigation, fish farming
Afghanistan’s acting Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Mawlavi Attaullah Umari (Omari) has highlighted efforts in Afghan agriculture, especially irrigation and fish farming. He was speaking during a meeting in Kabul with Stephen Rodrigues, head of the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP). The acting Minister urged the building of irrigation canals and the monitoring of existing dams to expand the country’s reservoir network. ...
The Washington Dungeness crab season builds up value
Following a belated January 15, 2025 start, the Washington Dungeness crab season has quickly garnered price value amid roaring currents. The very first haul in mid-January instantly fetched $5.75 a pound and edged the previous 2021-22 season’s record of $5.19. This season began with strong seas along Long Beach Peninsula but fishermen still managed to land jumbo and 2-pounders. It is also clear that...