Ag in the News

05/14/2008

National

Agriprocessors arrests total 390, of which 20 face criminal charges
After a day spent processing employees of Agriprocessors Inc. who were picked up in a raid on Monday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents said 390 had been arrested. Of those, 290 were Guatemalan, 93 were from Mexico, four were Ukrainian and three, Israeli. MORE!

Bush issues statement on farm bill veto, calls for current law extension
President Bush on Tuesday issued a statement explaining his decision to veto the 2007 farm bill once it is passed by Congress and again called for a one-year extension of current law. Bush said the current farm bill proposal "undermines our ability to open foreign markets to American agricultural goods." MORE!

Ball Park introduces two new hot dogs
Sara Lee brand Ball Park announced the debut of two new products, Ball Park Angus Beef Franks and Ball Park Turkey Franks. MORE!

Canada importing more U.S. pork amid woes
While Canada's pork industry struggles to sustain itself amid rising feed costs, shrinking inventory, declining hog slaughter and fleeing producers, the country's strong currency is resulting, ironically, in increased imports of pork from the United States. MORE!

Fresh & Easy to launch 250 new products including ready-to-grill meats
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, the Tesco retail chain with locations in several western states, announced it is adding 250 products to its selection of fresh&easy own-brand foods. MORE!

University of Arkansas to dedicate new cattle feed research facility
The University of Arkansas plans to dedicate its new Byproduct Feeds Research and Demonstration Barn at the Southwest Research and Extension Center in Hope, Ark., on Wednesday. MORE!

Wrap Up

Farm bill votes likely today, Thursday. The House is expected to vote on the farm bill conference report today and a Senate vote is likely on Thursday. The matter is one of not whether the bill will be cleared by both chambers, but by how many votes. And, more importantly whether or not it clears via a two-thirds majority vote.

South Korea to delay beef market reopening. South Korea's ag minister said the country may take another 7 to 10 days before announcing new beef inspections protocols for U.S.-origin product, effectively delaying the reopening of that market to U.S. beef. The announcement had been expected for Thursday, clearing the way for new shipments. Officials cited a need to read and consider comments on the plan as the reason for the delays.

Australia crop rebound hinges on rain. If summer rains received are now followed up by decent amounts in the fall and winter, Australia's ag minister says he expects the country will see a sharp rebound in their wheat crop, allowing them to help meet humanitarian needs around the globe. Expectations are Australia could see their crop reach 26 MMT compared to a drought-reduced harvest of 13.1 MMT last year.

Temporary end to filling SPR. Both the House and Senate overwhelmingly voted to temporarily halt the restocking of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), a measure few expect will have a significant impact on oil/gas prices in the United States. President Bush said he would sign the bill.