International news & Farming Articles

Climate change to hit Mexico hard

January 4, 2013

mexico city / reuters / A growing body of scientific evidence ranks Mexico and its southern neighbours near the top of the list of countries most vulnerable to global warming, and advances in micro-forecasting foresee a grim future in alarming detail. According to two new studies, a deadly combination of warmer weather and less rainfall

International news, Livestock

Dutch law will ban mink farming by 2024

January 4, 2013

Reuters/Staff –– Humane Society International-Canada is calling on the Canadian government to phase out fur farming following a decision by the Netherlands to end the practice by 2024. “Right now, the Canadian codes of practice for minks and foxes are being reviewed, and it is clear that fur farming is causing immense suffering to animals,”

International news, News, Opinion

Apply what we already know works

By Kanayo F. Nwanze January 4, 2013

The drought-prone South Gansu province of China suffers from limited water and severe soil erosion. It is not a hospitable environment for food production. Yet, despite these harsh conditions, farmers are producing and selling more food. They are feeding themselves and their families. And their incomes are steadily rising. In degraded areas of Burkina Faso,

International news, Livestock, News

Cargill invests in India’s food-processing boom

By Ratnajyoti Dutta January 4, 2013

Reuters — Cargill, the U.S. agribusiness giant, is investing in India’s burgeoning processed food sector with a $73-million corn-milling unit, the head of its India operation said. India’s 1.2 billion population is eating increasing amounts of packaged and processed foods, using the financial benefits of an economy growing at nearly six per cent to try

Crops, International news, News

Cuba’s sugar cane sector only beginning to recover from Sandy

December 4, 2012

The first of Cuba’s 50 sugar mills has resumed operations, weeks after the sector was battered by Hurricane Sandy. AZCUBA, the state-run holding company that replaced the Sugar Ministry two years ago, announced in October that it would produce about 1.68 million tonnes of raw sugar this season, 20 per cent more than last season’s

International news, News, Oilseeds

Indonesia passes new law aimed at food self-sufficiency

By Michael Taylor December 1, 2012

Reuters – Indonesia has drafted a food law to speed self-sufficiency efforts by creating a new “super body” that could lead to greater curbs on imports and exports of staples, hinder much-needed overseas investment and eventually push up prices. As Indonesia struggles to meet rising demand from an increasingly affluent population of 240 million, it

International news, News, Weather

Indian monsoons may fail more often due to climate change

By Alister Doyle November 30, 2012

Reuters – The Indian monsoon is likely to fail more often in the next 200 years threatening food supplies, unless governments agree how to limit climate change, a study released Nov. 6 says. The monsoon rains could collapse about every fifth year between 2150 and 2200 with continued global warming, blamed mainly on human burning

Cereals, Crops, International news, News

China’s corn revolution promises great leap forward in yields

By Naveen Thukral, Niu Shuping November 22, 2012

Reuters / China’s farmers are using higher-yielding seeds and embracing modern technology in a shift that makes it less likely China will be a long-term major corn importer. Record Chinese imports of 5.5 million tonnes in 2011-12 helped drive up benchmark Chicago corn prices to $8 a bushel earlier this year — more than double

International news, Livestock, News

Farmers square off against animal lovers over badger cull

By Alessandra Rizzo October 26, 2012

Reuters / Senseless massacre to some, a necessary evil to others, a plan to cull thousands of wild badgers to stem the spread of tuberculosis in cattle is sharply dividing rural England. Marksmen could start the cull any day but details are being kept secret for fear of clashes between farmers determined to protect their

Cereals, Crops, International news

Africa can easily grow wheat to ease hunger, price shocks

By Alister Doyle October 26, 2012

Reuters / Wheat production in sub-Saharan Africa is at only 10 to 25 per cent of its potential and nations can easily grow more to limit hunger, price shocks and political instability, says a new study. The report, examining environmental conditions of 12 nations from Ethiopia to Zimbabwe, said that farmers south of the Sahara

Daily Network News

CFIA updates plant protection regulations

U.S. grains: Corn, wheat ease after gains driven by Black Sea jitters

CBOT Weekly: Watching for Chinese soybean purchases

International news