Earlier this week, Bloomberg News reported that, “China’s purchases of U.S. goods increased last month as the economy continued its recovery from the coronavirus shutdowns, but imports are still far behind the pace needed to meet the terms of the ‘phase one’ trade deal. “By the end of May this year, China had only bought about 19% of the […]
The majority of North Dakota has experienced a precipitation deficit this growing season, with much of the western and central portion of the state receiving less than 50% of normal precipitation and some areas receiving only 20% to 30% of normal since April 1. The current U.S. Drought Monitor reflects these conditions, with approximately 27% […]
Another all-time record hog inventory amidst the COVID-19 pandemic extends further downward pressure on prices. The USDA’s June Hogs and Pigs report places the June 1 inventory of all hogs and pigs at 79.6 million head, up 5.2% from a year ago, just above the upper range of pre-report expectations and well above the midpoint of 3.7% […]
Last week, Bloomberg’s Mike Dorning reported that, “U.S. health and agricultural authorities issued thinly veiled criticism of new demands from China for food-exporting companies to sign documents stating that they comply with safety standards to prevent transmission of Covid-19. “‘Efforts by some countries to restrict global food exports related to Covid-19 transmission are not consistent with the known science of transmission,’ U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue […]
Donnelle Eller reported on the front page of Tuesday’s Des Moines Register that, “The Trump administration has sent $4 billion in payments to U.S. farmers to help cover losses due to the coronavirus, part of $16 billion that’s available to provide direct aid to offset losses for farmers and ranchers. “Iowa farmers have snagged $423.5 million of the pandemic payments, the […]
Last week, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) released its monthly Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook, which included updated information regarding meat production. In part, the ERS update stated that, “Over the past 2 months, U.S. beef packers had to implement new health protocols for dealing with COVID-19 that might have hindered their ability to process cattle. However, they […]
Bloomberg News reported on Friday that, “China plans to accelerate purchases of American farm goods to comply with the phase one trade deal with the U.S. following talks in Hawaii this week. “The world’s top soybean importer intends to increase buying everything from soybeans to corn and ethanol after purchases fell behind due to the coronavirus, said two people familiar with […]
Challenging harvest conditions in the fall of 2019 in combination with excess moisture and cool temperatures this spring have inhibited spring planting, resulting in above normal acres of prevented planting. In addition, many livestock producers in the region are short on forage due to harvest challenges in 2019 and delayed pasture readiness this spring. Also, […]
The transition from spring to summer often happens seemingly overnight; cold, cloudy conditions one day followed by sunny conditions with warm (or even hot) temperatures the next. Those rapid transitions can trigger heat stress responses in cattle even if the actual weather conditions do not appear to be that severe. The biggest cause of early […]
In January, the U.S. and China ceremoniously signed the Phase 1 trade agreement. This was a positive development for U.S. agriculture, especially on the grains side. While there was ambiguity about the metrics and some doubt about China’s ability to meet those goals, the consensus was that China would be buying a lot of U.S. […]