7 ag stories you might have missed this week - March 29, 2019
China buys soybeans, Bayer loses second Roundup trial and slowing milk production among ag news of the week.
Missed some news this week? Here’s seven ag stories you might have overlooked.
1. Flooding continues across the nation. A group of Pennsylvania farmers has collected 50 tons of hay - and counting – for flood victims around the Midwest. The Nebraska Strong Run donated 100% of its proceeds to flood relief. The event, which was organized in less than a week, raised $163,000. – American Agriculturalist, Runner’s World
2. Chinese state-owned firms bought about 1.5 million tons of U.S. soybeans on March 28. The purchase comes as U.S. and Chinese officials meet in Beijing for negotiations aimed at ending a protracted trade war between the two nations. – Reuters
3. Bayer AG lost a second trial over claims its Roundup weed killer causes cancer. A jury in San Francisco federal court awarded compensatory damages of $5.3 million and punitive dages of $75 million to a 70-year-old California man who became ill after spraying the herbicide on his property for decades. –Farm Futures
4. A case of virulent Newcastle disease has been reported in Northern California. The virus is untreatable and spreads quickly among various poultry species, including chickens, turkeys, pheasants, ducks, geese and pigeons. – SF Gate
5. University of Wisconsin-Madison dairy economist Bob Cropp sees good news for dairy prices as milk production continues to slow. February milk production was up to .2%, Cropp said. The bad news is fluid milk sales declined another 2% last year. On the plus side, dairy exports set a record in 2018, totaling 15.8% of production. – Wisconsin Agriculturalist
6. An analysis found Minnesota farm incomes set a new record in 2018 – it was the lowest in the 23 years the state has been tracking farm income. The reported net income was just more than $26,000, down 8% from the previous year. – Marshall Independent
7. Scoular, a company that buys, sells, transports and stores grain, feed ingredients and food ingredients, is building a new freeze-drying manufacturing facility in Seward, Neb. About $50 million will be invested to build the plant, which is expected to create 100 jobs. – Nebraska Farmer
And your bonus.
Researchers in Switzerland have concluded that cheese exposed to hip-hop music had a “discernibly stronger smell and stronger, fruitier taste than the other test samples.” The experiment, Cheese in Surround Sound, started last fall with nine 22-pound wheels of Emmental cheese placed in nine separate wooden crates. The cheese was played various types of songs. - NPR
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