MacDonald’s Malaysia has sued Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Malaysia movement for 6 million Ringgit ($1.304 million) for business losses stemming from Israel boycott calls.  A Reuters report of December 31, 2023 states that McDonald’s Malaysia sued the movement for “inciting the public (into) boycott.” The report also says that the fast food chain has lost revenue from early closures and...

Global wheat has closed 2023 on mixed results, with most price influences coming off geopolitical factors, especially the Ukraine-Russia war.  European Union (EU)’s wheat, for one, ended 2023 on a depreciated price note. In the U.S., performance fell year-on-year despite a November-December rebound. Here are a few countries and regions which show where global wheat is headed for 2024. EU’s Wheat...

For Cooper Hibbard, a fifth generation rancher in Montana, soil conservation and ranching are bedfellows, reports Tri-State Livestock News.  Hibbard employed a unique conservation technique during the driest 10-year period of his ranch and saw 200% increase in forage yield. The secret lies in how he inter-crops pasture, corn and soybeans to ensure proper cover-cropping for the soil. He calls this “tangent strip-cropping,” where...

In a trade and diplomatic move, China has expanded the import range of frozen beef from Uruguay starting December 26, 2023. China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) reiterated that the imports will only come from non-foot and mouth disease zones. Additionally, GAC underscored its trust for Uruguay’s Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries to inspect and sanitize the beef. It is however...

Farmers in Omusati Region in Namibia have received more than 42 tractors courtesy of Namibia Agricultural Mechanisation and Seed Improvement Project (NAMSIP). This is the latest gesture in a nationwide farm equipment procurement process that boasts 350 tractors and 380 walking tractors. While handing over the machinery, the executive director in the Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Ministry, Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata enumerated the procurement. She...

Myanmar (formerly Burma) earned $931.96 million in revenue from the sale of beans and pulses in the 8 months ending December 2023. In an announcement on December 26, the Ministry of Commerce partially attributed the income to the current 2023-24 market year. These preliminary statistics hint at Myanmar scoring full-year results matching the earnings of the 2022-23 fiscal year worth $1.47 billion. ...

Government statistics show that Croatia posted an impressive agricultural growth of 9.23% in 2022 over 2021’s. More importantly, the growth rate ranks as the third highest in the European Union (EU) since 2015. An increase in youthful farmers, who grew by 66% since 2015, has helped boost the sector through value creation. The fact that young farmers make up 14.4% of 2023’s...

Barely four months after heavy precipitation in July led to a spike in dairy prices in Maine and Vermont from lack of feed, an even heavier storm has hit New England.  The December 18 storm in North-east United States left flood waters in urban centers and  low-lying coastal areas.   The storm came along a northeasterly warm current that spiked temperatures in Boston, Massachusetts to 63ºF. ...

FD Berries USA is currently harvesting strawberries on its farm in Sebring, Florida at a time of high demand. The agricultural company began operations in April, 2018 in Mexico with 50 hectares of blueberries and since then has expanded into Florida.  To learn more, Selina Wamucii spoke to Andrew Pidgeon, Director of Marketing at Fibredust, whose subsidiary is FD Berries. Andrew Pidgeon initiates...