Ag in the News

01/15/2008

National and International

Smithfield Packing Co. recognizes MLK Day
Smithfield Packing Co. said Monday it has added Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day to its list of paid holidays. MORE!

Tyson 'Extreme Makeover' appearance made big impact, research finds
Tyson Foods' donation during an episode of the ABC reality show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" last fall achieved the greatest impact on brand opinion in 2007, according to IAG Research, an analysis firm that tracks the success of television commercials through nationwide surveys. MORE!

Paula Deen kicks off Smithfield campaign to help the hungry
Unloading 500 spiral hams for hungry families in Savannah, Ga., Food Network celebrity and Smithfield Foods spokeswoman Paula Deen on Monday kicked off the Smithfield Foods Helping Hungry Homes Across America tour. MORE!

U.S.-Mexico livestock working group to meet in February
U.S. and Mexican officials will meet by mid-February to address trade concerns in the livestock sector, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) said in a news release. MORE!

Iowa Farm Bureau rep joins USMEF executive committee
Calvin Rozenboom, a member of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors, has been appointed to the U.S. Meat Export Federation executive committee as an at-large director. MORE!

Wrap Up

Overnight tone mixed. Corn futures were steady to 2 cents lower in overnight trade. Soybean futures were widely mixed, with old-crop contracts weaker while new-crop contracts posted solid gains. Chicago wheat futures also ended widely mixed.

Energy in focus. President Bush is in Saudi Arabia and he has raised the issue of high oil prices with the Saudis, noting concern about how they are affecting the U.S. economy. Also, the European Union may ban imports of some biofuels produced on certain kinds of land -- including forests, wetlands or grasslands. The move would likely impact palm oil imports and those from Latin American countries.

The clones are all right. That's what the conclusion is from a Food and Drug Administration final report which hasn't been released but was reported on by the Washington Post today. They say FDA views foods from healthy cloned animals and their offspring as safe as those from ordinary animals. But the article says we are still likely years away from cloned animals making up any large part of the food supply as cloned animals are expensive. Here's a link to the article.

Black trade ink still flowing. The U.S. racked up a $3.287 billion trade surplus in November, putting the Oct-Nov. surplus already at $6.584 billion for the first two months of fiscal 2008. The U.S. wrapped up FY 2007 with an $11.910 billion trade surplus.