Average protein content in this year’s French soft wheat harvest reached 11.4 per cent, down from 11.9 per cent last year, results from a quality survey by farm office FranceAgriMer and crop institute Arvalis showed Sept. 14. The national average for protein, a key criterion for wheat milling, followed mixed readings in preliminary survey results.
French 2022 soft wheat protein down, test weights above average
Beyond Meat suspends COO after arrest for allegedly biting man’s nose
Beyond Meat Inc.’s Chief Operating Officer Doug Ramsey has been suspended, the company said Sept. 20, following reports of the executive’s arrest for allegedly biting a man’s nose during an altercation. The plant-based meat producer said the operation’s activities will be overseen on an interim basis by Jonathan Nelson, senior vice-president of manufacturing operations. Ramsey
Egypt to require wheat suppliers to register in new exchange
Egypt’s state grains buyer will require wheat suppliers to register with the country’s commodities exchange before November, according to a document seen by Reuters. The General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) added in a letter sent to traders that it will not buy from unregistered suppliers from the start of November onward. Traders contacted by
BASF starts production at southern China mega complex
German chemicals group BASF said Sept. 6 it has started production at a giant complex in southern China’s Zhanjiang. The first plant at the site will produce 60,000 tonnes of engineering plastic compounds a year for the automotive and electronics industries, the company said in a statement. It will be supplied entirely by renewable electricity.
Bunge to sell oilseed processing business in Russia
Grain firms scaling back Russian business
Reuters — Agricultural commodities trader Bunge said Monday it has agreed to sell its oilseed processing business in Russia to Karen Vanetsyan, the controlling shareholder of Exoil Group. The sale includes the sunflower processing plant in Voronezh. Bunge and its rivals ADM, Cargill and Louis Dreyfus — part of the so-called ABCD quartet of global
One-third of China’s land protected under ecological ‘red line’ scheme
Authorities crack down on farm encroachment
Shanghai | Reuters — Nearly a third of China’s land is now off-limits to development under a scheme known as the “ecological protection red line,” a senior official said at a news briefing on Monday, bringing the country in accord with global biodiversity targets. China first proposed its “red line” scheme in 2011 to put
EU imports of Ukrainian chicken soar after quota lifted
The lifting of European Union customs duties on Ukrainian goods led to a jump in poultry imports that has benefited a single company rather than Ukrainian farmers, French poultry makers said Sept. 7. They asked that the temporary move not be renewed. The EU in June temporarily lifted tariffs to help the war-torn country and
U.S. livestock: Hog futures fall
Cattle futures mixed
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures fell on Wednesday, turning lower on a round of profit-taking after the most-active December contract hit its highest in more than three weeks early in the trading session. Cattle futures were mixed, with live cattle contracts easing for the second day in a row while feeder cattle futures
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures slip from seven-year peak
Hogs up on technical buying
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell after hitting their highest in seven years on Monday. Feeder cattle futures continued to weaken, with the front-month contract dropping to a five-week low, as the prospect of high feeding costs due to strong corn prices pressured the market. Hog futures firmed on technical
China to speed up research into more resilient crops
China’s agriculture ministry is calling for more urgent research into new crop varieties that can tolerate alkaline soil and shorter growing seasons, as it seeks to ensure food security amid a changing climate. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said it has issued a notice urging faster research and demonstration of new varieties including