Bangladesh Adopts Food Security Plan

Bangladesh has adopted a nearly $8-billion plan to ensure food security over the next five years, Food and Disaster Management Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said April 2. “We have finalized the investment plan for our food security until 2015 and have full support from our development partners to implement it,” he told Reuters. The government

FAO Sees Food Price Rebound

Global food prices are expected to rebound in the next few weeks after coming off record highs in March as demand keeps growing against tight supplies, a top official at the United Nations’ food agency said on April 7. “We believe that in the next few weeks, and there are already signs of it, prices


Brazil Turns And Backs French Commodity Proposal

Brazil has come around to back France’s proposal for increased regulation of commodity markets which have bumped food prices to record highs this year, the agricultural giant’s farm minister said April 7. France is seeking the support of the G20 group of wealthy and developing economies for a series of reforms intended to help stabilize

USDA Changes Corn Wording After Ethanol Makers Complain

The U.S. government introduced new wording on corn use on April 8 following complaints from ethanol makers that they were not getting credit for the corn byproducts that are fed to livestock. Instead of saying “corn for ethanol” in its monthly report, the U.S. Agriculture Department now spells out the corn is going to produce


U.S. Farmers To Sow Idle Acres, Yields In Doubt

For the past five years, Nebraska farmer Brandon Hunnicutt has carefully avoided a small, soggy seven-acre plot of land in the middle of his farm, fearing the poor soil will be more trouble than it’s worth. This year, however, Hunnicutt – and thousands of others across the Midwest – will rush to cash in on

U.S. Farmers Plant Huge Crops As Stocks Dwindle

U.S. farmers say they will plant some of the biggest corn and soybean crops ever this spring, racing to keep pace with unrelenting global demand that’s rapidly depleting stockpiles and driving up food costs. A government survey found corn plantings would be the second largest since the Second World War and soybeans the third highest


Getting Agriculture Some Recognition In The Federal Election

Grain Growers of Canada was the first farm group to pitch farm policies to the parties competing in the May 2 election. President Stephen Vandervalk asked the party leaders “to make agriculture a key part of your election platform. Recent issues like food prices, food safety, biofuels and sustainability have created public interest in agriculture.”

Agriculture Gets Low Budget Profile

With commodity prices soaring and the federal government negotiating with the provinces on a new version of Growing Forward, no one expects agriculture to rate much more than mention in passing in the March 22 budget. A recent Agriculture Canada forecast predicted generally rosy conditions for most sectors of Canadian agriculture going forward as food


Bee Deaths May Signal Wider Pollination Threat

Mass deaths of bee colonies in many parts of the world may be part of a wider, hidden threat to wild insect pollinators vital to human food supplies, a UN study indicated March 10. Declines in flowering plants, a spread of parasites, use of pesticides or air pollution were among more than a dozen factors