War in the Middle-East continues to impact Israeli vegetable and fruit produce, which is slowly but surely turning into waste. The war’s initial half year cost the economy 1 billion shekels ($265.8 million) in food waste. This according to the yearly Food Waste and Rescue Report by food rescue body, Leket Israel via the Times of Israel. In production terms, the war...

Originally published September 24, 2024. Hyderabad in southern India and Pune in the west are investing heavily on rainwater harvesting systems to reduce runoffs. Rain serves between 50 and 52% of India’s agricultural cropland during the monsoon per year, hence its conservation.  Hyderabad’s Mandate In its part, Hyderabad has mandated rainwater harvesting from January 2025 via its Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS)...

Originally published September 24, 2024. Week 2 of the Iowa corn harvest has registered a 3% weekly output increase,  even as a new short corn breed readies to occupy a drying corn belt.  Concerning the harvest progress, Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig describes the fall crop as ready in most of the state. Responding to a U.S. Department of Agriculture...

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 festival took place at the 400...

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 surge to 2024’s heatwave, which...

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 strong from a production expenditure...

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 key exports to the UAE...

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 of 10 billion snow crabs in the...

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 before the September 30, 2024...

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 March 2018 story by the...