Articles by Christopher Doering | Manitoba Co-operator

Glass is still half full for flush American farmers

By Christopher Doering, Tom Polansek March 14, 2012

Brian Roach scrawled a simple outlook for corn prices in a spiral notebook, with a line diving from the upper left hand corner to the lower right. Sitting in a hotel ballroom at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual Agricultural Outlook Forum last week, the commodity broker predicted increasing supplies and weakening demand would slow

Livestock, Markets

U.S. rolls out second bid at livestock tracking plan

By Christopher Doering, GFM Network News August 10, 2011

A livestock tracking plan introduced on Tuesday aims to improve the United States’ ability to combat disease outbreaks faster, marking the U.S. government’s second attempt on such a system after an earlier plan fizzled out over cost and privacy concerns. The plan introduced by the U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) could reduce the time it takes

News

USDA Deregulates Industrial GE Corn

By Christopher Doering February 17, 2011

The U.S. Agriculture Department said Feb. 11 it has deregulated a variety of corn genetically engineered to produce a common enzyme that speeds the breakdown of starch into sugar, a vital step in making ethanol. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said Syngenta, the Swiss maker of the enzyme, called alpha-amylase, will create an

Beef cattle, Livestock, Poultry

Meat, Poultry To Have Nutrition Labels By 2012 — USDA

By Christopher Doering January 13, 2011

Nutritional labels will be mandatory on 40 popular cuts of meat and poultry products beginning in 2012, a measure the U.S. Agriculture Department says will make it easier for consumers to understand the content of the foods they buy. USDA said the nutritional information will be required for major cuts of raw, single-ingredient meat and

News, Poultry

HSUS Targets Laying Hen Abuses

By Christopher Doering May 6, 2010

“I don’t think anyone can see this footage and feel good about this production system.” – WAYNE PACELLE An undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States of major U. S. egg producers showed “rampant abuse” of hens, which the animal rights group said April 7 could prompt more consumers to embrace “cage-free”

Cereals, Crops, Oilseeds

U. S. Farmers To Cut Wheat, Boost Cotton, Corn Acres

By Christopher Doering January 21, 2010

American farmers, taking advantage of rising cotton prices, will sharply increase their plantings of that crop this year, and also look to reap better returns from corn and soybeans, growers said in a poll released Jan. 13. A random survey of 980 farmers at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting found they will increase

Forages, Livestock

USDA Seeks Comment On Genetically Modified Alfalfa

By Christopher Doering December 24, 2009

Alfalfa is not the only crop that has come under fire. The U. S. Agriculture Department on Dec. 14 said it determined there would be no significant environmental harm to deregulating genetically modified alfalfa, but said it will open its preliminary finding to public comment before issuing a final decision. USDA first deregulated two types

Country Crossroads

More Fruit, Fewer Calories Urged For U. S. School Lunch

By Christopher Doering October 29, 2009

“This will be a very wise investment in children’s health.” – VIRGINIA STALLINGS U. S. children should get more fruits, vegetables and whole grains in their school meals even though this will push up costs, and calories should be limited, a panel recommended to the federal government Oct. 20. As obesity among adolescents continues to

Dairy cattle, Livestock

USDA Raises Dairy Support Prices

By Christopher Doering August 6, 2009

The government announced a three-month increase in U. S. dairy support prices on July 31 that would put an additional $243 million into farmers’ pockets and offset the lowest milk prices in 30 years. Burdened by economic recession and an abrupt slump in exports, dairy prices collapsed last fall. They are two-thirds of last year’s

News

Gulf Of Mexico “Dead Zone” One Of Largest Ever

By Christopher Doering July 2, 2009

The Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone” – a region infested with algae that consumes most of the oxygen, deterring habitation by marine life – could be one of the largest on record, with much of the blame going to agriculture and flooding, the government said June 18. The dead zone, located off the coast of

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Pulse packers’ security covers cash owed to farmers

Farm cash receipts up in 2020

GFM Network News