Ag in the News

02/27/2008

Local

Joe's reflects agricultural heritage
Business name: Joe's Real BBQ. What this business offers: Smoked meats and homemade side dishes and desserts served in a unique, family-friendly atmosphere that celebrates the agricultural heritage of our great town. MORE!

National and International

Canada confirms BSE in 6-year-old dairy cow
A 6-year-old dairy cow from Alberta is Canada's latest case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced Tuesday. MORE!

ConAgra hiring staff to boost food safety
WASHINGTON — ConAgra Foods CEO Gary Rodkin told a congressional hearing on Tuesday that the company is in the process of hiring 250 quality personnel, primarily to support enhanced food safety standards at its facilities. MORE!

Some food firms keeping Hallmark meat, awaiting further word
Costco Wholesale Corp. and Advance Food Co. are two companies that have pulled products using meat processed by Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. from their shelves, but have not yet destroyed it in case USDA officials change their minds about allowing the goods to be sold, according to The Wall Street Journal. MORE!

National Pork Board puts checkoff dollars to use against childhood hunger
The National Pork Board announced that it has signed on as the official protein sponsor of Share Our Strength's 2008 Taste of the Nation events in an effort to combat childhood hunger. MORE!

A real whopper: Michigan eatery serves 134-pound burger
Detroit-area restaurant Mallie's Sports Bar and Grill claims to have broken the world record for "largest hamburger commercially available" by putting a 134-pound burger on its menu, the Associated Press reported. MORE!

Wrap Up

Losses pile up overnight. Wheat futures declined more than a dollar per bushel in overnight action. Chicago wheat futures closed $1.20-plus lower in overnight trade and posted key bearish reversals. That took the wind out of corn and soybeans. Corn was 8 to 11 cents lower, while soybeans were 8 to 13 cents lower overnight.

Higher wheat trade limits. Margins required to trade wheat at the Kansas City Board of Trade (KCBT) are higher starting today, while wheat margins at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) will be increased at the close of trade today.

Farm bill writers ordered to 'get it done.' House and Senate Democratic leaders last night told key farm bill writers to "get it done" relative to a new farm bill. It appears that a $10 billion funding increase beyond the budget baseline for the bill. The next step in the process will be a meeting between leaders of the Senate Finance Committee, House Ways & Means Committee and USDA officials to find the budget offsets to meet the deal on spending above the budget baseline. You can read more on the Pro Farmer page via Jim Wiesemeyer's Inside Washington Today column.

Beef recall is turning into food recall. Today's Wall Street Journal reports that General Mills and Nestle are already starting to recall some food products that were made with beef involved in the largest recall in U.S. history. If the recall expands further into other food products, it could become the biggest food recall ever. If so, that will mean significant costs for U.S. food companies as they seek to retrieve the products in question.