Ag in the News

10/11/2007

Local

Yuma adds to 'green fleet'
The city of Yuma unveiled new "green vehicles" Wednesday, adding to its growing fleet of alternative fuel vehicles. MORE!

National and International

Tyson restructuring management, poultry group head resigns
Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson Foods Inc. on Wednesday announced 25-year Tyson veteran and Senior Group Vice President of Poultry and Prepared Foods Bill Lovette has resigned. MORE!

USDA to check plant procedures on E. coli in the next 30 days
USDA plans to distribute new safety checklists to its on-site inspectors and within a month retrieve data that could lead to more food safety inspections of facilities that don't implement certain "best practices" to control E. coli O157:H7 contamination, a USDA official told Meatingplace.com. MORE!

Pot pie-related salmonella cases date back to January, no recall plans yet By Alicia Karapetian on 10/11/2007 for Meatingplace.com The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established a link between salmonellosis cases and ConAgra Foods-produced Banquet pot pies as far back as January, the agency reported on its Web site. MORE!

Coleman Natural Foods hits the ski slopes
Golden, Colo.-based Coleman Natural Foods made a mountain of a deal Wednesday, agreeing to supply natural meats to Vail Resorts Inc., the nation's largest ski operator, for the upcoming ski season. MORE!

Johanns announces U.S. Senate bid
Former Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced on his Web site that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) in 2008. MORE!

Wrap Up

Overnight price strength. Wheat futures led overnight gains, trading 6 to 11 cents higher. Corn futures were 1 to 2 cents higher, with soybeans mostly 2 to 4 cents higher. Some of the strength can be traced to follow-through gains from Wednesday, with underlying support also from a weaker dollar.

U.S.-Korea beef talks underway. The U.S. and South Korea today opened two days of talks on beef trade, with the U.S. pushing for South Korea to accept U.S. beef based on internationally accepted standards. However, South Korean officials are expected to continue to insist on some restrictions -- no specified risk materials (SRMs), no tails or leg bones, and no beef from animals over 30 months of age.

Ethanol report. Greater cultivation of crops to produce ethanol could harm water quality and leave some regions of the country with water shortages, a panel convened by the National Research Council reported. The panel acknowledged that improved agricultural practices, water recycling and other steps might reduce possible problems.

No Weekly Export Sales Report today. Due to Monday's government holiday, USDA's weekly export sales data is delayed until Friday morning.