Ag in the News

03/03/2008

National

Tyson to close plant, discontinue product line
Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson Foods Inc. on Friday announced that it will close one of its three plants in Wilkesboro, N.C., and discontinue one of its product lines. The closure will result in the loss of about 400 jobs. MORE!

Hormel debuts deli products
Hormel Foods has introduced several take-home dinners and natural sliced meats available in supermarket delis. MORE!

HSUS kept abuse information from USDA on purpose
Humane Society of the United States President Wayne Pacelle said the group purposely kept animal abuse information from USDA while it built its case because it needed public outrage to pressure the agency into strong action. MORE!

At least two Hallmark/Westland inspectors suspended: union
At least two federal inspectors from Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. have been placed on paid administrative leave following the largest beef recall in U.S. history, according to a union leader, the Associated Press reported. MORE!

Listeria concerns prompt recall of frozen chicken entrees
Meijer Distribution Center in Grand Rapids, Mich., is voluntarily recalling approximately 2,184 pounds of frozen chicken entrées that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced. MORE!

COZZINI acquires slicer line with Dover Products purchase
Chicago-based food processing equipment manufacturer COZZINI Inc. said it acquired Shelbyville, Ky.-based slicing equipment maker Dover Products, Inc./Anco Slicing Technology for an undisclosed sum. MORE!

Wrap Up

Sharply higher to open the week. Soybean futures were 29- plus cents higher in old-crop contracts, while new-crop soybeans were around 20 cents higher overnight. Chicago wheat futures traded 28 to 40 cents higher overnight. Corn was 7 to 10 cents higher. Fresh speculative buying with the flip of the calendar to March supported grains along with bullish fundamentals and outside market influence.

Is this another key farm bill day? More progress has been reached in getting to the farm bill end zone, with House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D- Minn.) saying Sunday evening during a telephone-delivered address to the National Farmers Union (NFU) convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, that another one-month extension, to April 15, is likely ahead for the 2002 Farm Bill, in order for Ag Committee staff to work up the eventual farm bill language. Meanwhile, the White House has offered "parameters" of farm policy reforms, some of which it "must" have in order to fulfill its approval of a farm bill costing $10 billion over the budget baseline. Jim Wiesemeyer has more details in his Inside Washington Today column which can be found on the Pro Farmer page.

China to issue planting aid. China says it will push out $44 million in aid to farmers in areas hit by adverse weather this winter to help them get crops in this spring. The country continues to grapple with the severe winter weather which hit the country and caused a host of damage.

Japan blocks beef from another Smithfield plant. Japan said it is blocking beef shipments from an Arizona Smithfield beef plant as a shipment of beef arrived in Japan that was not ordered. Japan said no specified risk materials are in the shipment, but the age of the beef may be in question. This is the second Smithfield plant to have its shipments to Japan blocked.