African swine fever reported in Malaysia, biofuel bills introduced in U.S. and food prices rising around the world.

Janet Kubat Willette, E-Content Editor

March 5, 2021

3 Min Read
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Missed some ag news this week? Here's seven stories to catch you up.

1. An outbreak of African swine fever has been reported in Malaysia. The disease was detected in at least 300 hogs in three districts after a case involving a wild boar last month. About 3,000 hogs will be culled as a result. A second wave of African swine fever is estimated to have killed as many as eight million pigs in China since the start of the year. There are three known strains of African swine fever, two of which are reported to have emerged from illegal vaccines. – Reuters, ABC News

2. Global food prices rose for the ninth straight month in February, the longest run since 2008. Low-income, import-dependent countries will be the most affected. Global food prices are still well below a 2011 peak. Pandemic-related production hurdles are contributing to rising prices for food and oil. Demand for gasoline bounced back more quickly than oil producers could increase production, leading to an increase in prices, even with millions of people still not commuting to work.  – Bloomberg, NBC News

3. Legislators are looking to expand access and acceptance of biofuels with the introduction of several bills this week on Capitol Hill. The Adopt GREET Act would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to update its greenhouse gas modeling for ethanol and biodiesel. The Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Investment and Market Expansion Act would expand access to higher blends of biofuels. – Farm Futures

4. Summit Carbon Solutions wants to capture carbon dioxide from at least 17 ethanol plants and pipe it to North Dakota where it would be stored in underground wells. The gas contributes to climate change when it's released into the atmosphere. The project could be operational by 2024. – AP/MPR

5. National Farmers Union President Rob Larew gave his first State of Farmers Union address from the organization's Washington, D.C. office to a remote audience. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also spoke during the virtual convention. – Farm Futures

6. The Australian beef herd is at its lowest point since the early 1990s and the nation's beef producers may lose their No. 2 exporter position behind Brazil because they don't have the stock available to service the global market. Several years of drought forced Australian producers to cull cattle. -  Bloomberg

7. USDA plans to collect hemp acreage and production data from U.S. farmers in coming months. USDA's final hemp production rules were released Jan. 15 and are expected to take effect this month. – Hemp Industry Daily

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