Ag in the News

12/26/2007

National and International

Recalls, raids and JBS-Swift top 2007 news headlines
In a year when stories about food safety, immigration and economic uncertainty dominated the mainstream press, it's little surprise that these topics were also top-of-mind for meat and poultry industry readers. MORE!

NAMP offers first Center of the Plate course in Canada
The North American Meat Processors Association is offering its Center of the Plate training Feb. 19-21 at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. MORE!

IPE culinary demos explore Asian and healthy menu trends At this year's International Poultry Expo, POULTRY magazine, along with its sister publication, Plate magazine, will explore Asian and healthy menu trends and show processors value-added innovations through a cooking demonstration. MORE!

Wrap Up

Back to full days. Wheat futures were the big movers in overnight action, with nearby contracts down hard and deferred, new-crop months stronger. Soybeans also rose overnight and corn was steady to firm. Markets are running on full trading days the rest of the week.

Some USDA data shifts. Today should bring the weekly Grain Inspections figures from USDA that normally would have been out Monday. Also, most government operations were closed on Monday, so things like daily livestock slaughter will also resume today. The Weather-Crop Summary, however, won't come until tomorrow.

China soybean futures rise. Soybean and soyoil futures on China's Dalian exchange rose to record levels in action this morning, fueled by expectations of continued strong demand for vegoils in the country. Meanwhile, China's government reported that pork prices had risen for the 11th consecutive week, putting them up 53% the past year.

New immigration requirements. Beginning today, every U.S. employer must use a new employment verification form that immigration officials believe will help reduce document fraud. The new I-9 form took effect Nov. 7, but did not become mandatory until today.