13.12.2018

Ireland - 9 sheep killed in dog attack with 3 more euthanised

Farmers have been warned to be vigilant after a bad dog attack left nine sheep dead with a further three needing to be put down due to injuries earlier this week. Issuing the warning, Northern Ireland based veterinary practice Orchard Veterinary Centre Armagh explained through social media the incident that had occurred near the village of Keady in Co. Armagh. “We were called today to the Keady area for a particularly bad case of sheep worrying. Nine sheep were killed yesterday [Monday] by a group of two-three large dogs and I had to euthanize three more because of severe bite injuries; another 10 in-lamb ewes were chased badly too and can often end up aborting their lambs in these cases. “These poor defenseless creatures stood no chance against them. “Farmers, please be vigilant to avoid more loss of life. This is why dogs cannot be allowed to roam as this is an example of the real damage they can do,” the practice warned. Warning: Potentially distressing imagery below. The statement released by the veterinary centre was accompanied by photos, one of which is below. Image source: Orchard Veterinary Centre Armagh In Northern Ireland, local councils are responsible for dealing with all incidents of livestock worrying. Last year, two dog owners received destruction orders to have their dogs destroyed – while £2,324 was collected in fines from dog owners whose pets had engaged in incidents of livestock worrying. Source - https://www.agriland.ie

12.12.2018

USA - The 2018 Farm Bill: what you need to know

Economic conditions facing farm country are undeniably bleak. USDA recently announced net farm income is projected to drop 12 percent in 2018, falling to levels not experienced since 2002 when adjusted for inflation. Title I of the conference report exists to aid producers struggling with poor market conditions and the countless other challenges impacting their operations each day. Passage of the conference report will provide certainty that an extension of the 2014 Farm Bill could not. The agreement reauthorizes and strengthens the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) options through 2023, improves the dairy safety net, continues standing disaster programs, and includes several common‐sense improvements to U.S. farm policy. Enhances Farm Policy and Provides Additional Flexibility PLC provides assistance to producers when the market price for a covered commodity falls to critically low levels (below the statutory reference price). ARC provides assistance to producers when actual crop revenue for a covered commodity falls below 86 percent of the benchmark revenue. Producers electing ARC can choose between county (CO) and farm‐level (IC) coverage. Updated election options: The conference report offers producers a new choice between ARC and PLC on a crop‐by‐crop and farm‐by‐farm basis, applied jointly to the 2019 and 2020 crop years. Beginning in crop year 2021, producers will have the flexibility to make an annual decision between ARC and PLC on a crop‐by‐crop and farm‐by‐farm basis. Effective Reference Prices: The conference report allows PLC Reference Prices to adjust with improvements in market prices. This Effective Reference Price is calculated as the greater of 85 percent of the 5‐year Olympic average price and the PLC Reference Price established in the 2014 Farm Bill. In no case can the Effective Reference Price be more than 115 percent of the PLC Reference Price (or less than the PLC Reference Price), shown in the table below. Optional nationwide yield update: Beginning in crop year 2020, owners of all farms in the country will have the opportunity to update the program yield used on the farm to calculate assistance under PLC, similar to the update opportunity provided in the 2014 Farm Bill. The update is intended to benefit producers who sustained multiple years of losses during the 2008‐2012 crop years (the previous update period) for which the 2014 update was less effective. Producers may update the yield on the farm for each covered commodity to 90 percent of the average yield per planted acre on the farm from 2013‐2017—ignoring years where the covered commodity was not planted on the farm—multiplied by the yield update factor for the covered commodity listed in the table below. For any year in which the yield on the farm was less than 75 percent of the county average yield from 2013‐2017, owners may plug 75 percent of the county average yield. For example, assume the average yield per planted acre on the farm from 2013‐2017 for wheat was 35 bu/ac. The producer could update the PLC yield to 30.8 bu/ac (or 90% x 35 bu/ac x 0.9767). ARC‐CO improvements: The conference report makes several targeted improvements to enhance the efficacy of ARC‐CO. The conference report: Increases the yield plug from 70 percent to 80 percent of the county transitional yield. Incorporates the Effective Reference Price into the calculation of benchmark revenue. Adds a trend adjustment factor that will function similar to the factor utilized in crop insurance policies. Creates a pilot program that will allow the Secretary the flexibility to divide up to 25 large counties into sub‐county units with independently calculated ARC payment rates. Requires the Secretary to establish guarantees for irrigated and nonirrigated yields in each county. Prioritizes the use of RMA data for calculating county yields in accordance with H.R. 4654. Provides assistance based on the county of the farm’s physical location. Requires USDA to publish payment rates and program data in a more timely manner. Targets assistance to land in active production: The conference report suspends ARC and PLC payments on farms that have been entirely in grass or pasture since 2009 to ensure the farm safety net is targeted to those farms that are producing covered commodities. Recognizing that farms in grass are conserving natural resources, the conference report guarantees those farms an opportunity to participate in a 5‐year grassland incentive contract under the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) at a rate of $18 per acre. Improves the Marketing Assistance Loan Harvest is often the lowest point of the year for commodity prices. The marketing loan allows farmers to pledge their crop as collateral and receive a loan for a portion of the crop’s value, providing flexibility to market the crop when prices improve. The conference report increases the loan rates for certain commodities to more accurately reflect current market prices and provide more relevant assistance to farmers. Strengthens the Dairy Safety Net All sectors of production agriculture have been struggling to cope with a period of chronically low prices, but perhaps none more so than the dairy sector. Recognizing these challenges, in February Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA) which made an $800 million investment in the Margin Protection Program (MPP) and lifted the cap on livestock insurance expenditures. The conference report renames MPP as Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) and builds on the BBA investment by offering new coverage levels for the first 5 million pounds of production, drastically reducing premiums on catastrophic coverage levels for larger producers, and eliminating the restriction between the margin program (formerly MPP, now DMC) and Livestock Gross Margin (LGM) insurance. Increases coverage options: The conference report adds $8.50, $9.00, and $9.50 coverage levels for the first 5 million pounds of covered milk production. Additionally, the conference report expands the range of production allowed to be covered, from 5 percent up to 95 percent of production history. Rewards risk management strategies: For dairy operations that choose to make a 5‐year decision to lock in a coverage level and coverage percentage for the life of the 2018 Farm Bill, premium rates are reduced by 25 percent. Offers flexibility and reduces certain premiums for large operations: The conference report allows dairies with covered production in excess of 5 million pounds to enroll in $8.50, $9.00, or $9.50 coverage under Tier I and to make an independent coverage level election in Tier II. Additionally, as noted in the table that follows, premiums for $5.00 coverage in Tier II are reduced by 88 percent (91 percent if the premium is discounted for 5‐year coverage) in an effort to make catastrophic coverage levels more affordable. Provides access to more risk management tools: The conference report eliminates the restriction on participating in DMC and LGM crop insurance. This flexibility, along with the new Dairy Revenue Protection (Dairy‐RP) insurance policy developed by the American Farm Bureau Federation, will provide multiple options to address risk for dairy farmers. Provides equitable relief for 2018 MPP participation: The conference report allows dairy operations that were prohibited from participating in MPP following the premium reductions enacted via the BBA (due to enrollment in an LGM contract) to retroactively enroll in coverage. Incentivizes participation in revamped program: Recognizing MPP did not provide an adequate safety net for dairy farmers, the conference report provides dairy operations the opportunity to utilize 75 percent of the net premium paid for MPP from 2014‐2017 as a credit for future DMC premiums. Alternatively, operations can elect to receive 50 percent of net premium as a direct refund. Improves Vital Disaster Programs Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP): LIP provides assistance to livestock producers in the event of the death or forced sale of livestock due to an eligible cause of loss. The conference report updates the eligible causes of loss to include disease and deaths of unweaned livestock, so all livestock death losses are consolidated under one program (whereas certain losses were previously covered under ELAP). Livestock Forage Program (LFP): LFP provides feed cost replacement for livestock producers in the event of forage loss due to severe drought. The conference report maintains this critical assistance for livestock producers. Emergency Assistance For Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm‐raised Fish (ELAP):ELAP provides assistance to producers of livestock, honey bees, and farm‐raised fish to aid in the reduction of losses not covered under other disaster programs. The conference report ensures ELAP assistance will cover the inspection of herds for cattle fever tick and removes the arbitrary payment limitation on ELAP assistance. Tree Assistance Program (TAP): TAP offers cost share assistance to eligible orchardists who suffer loss or damage to tree groves. Producers may receive 65 percent of the cost of replanting trees or 50 percent of the cost to remove damaged limbs and vines. The conference report increases the cost share to 75 percent for beginning farmers and veterans. Maintains Current Administrative Provisions Payment limitations and AGI means testing: The conference report maintains the current payment limitation of $125,000 in assistance from ARC/PLC per person or entity. The separate limit for peanuts is maintained and doubling for spouses continues to apply. Additionally, participation continues to be limited to persons or entities with less than $900,000 in average adjusted gross income (AGI). The conference report removes Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs) and Marketing Loan Gains (MLGs) from counting toward the payment limitation. Actively Engaged in Farming (AEF) regulations: The conference report maintains current AEF regulations and continues to ensure all individuals eligible for the farm safety net are required to contribute land, labor, or capital to the farm operation AND provide the necessary amount of labor and/or management. The conference report amends the definition of family to include first cousins, nieces, and nephews to ensure family farms are not subjected to cumbersome regulations only intended for non‐family operations. Source - https://www.porkbusiness.com

12.12.2018

Senegal - The eradication of the tsetse fly will boost the livestock sector

In the coastal Niayes zone of Senegal, meat and dairy production is set to increase substantially in the coming years. This is a boon for the region, which is home to 80% of the country's population. It is thanks to the eradication of the infamous tsetse fly, due to be officially announced on Saturday 8 December by Senegalese President Macky Sall. CIRAD was invited to the ceremony, having been involved in the eradication alongside ISRA, Senegalese veterinary services, the Senegalese Ministry of Agriculture and the Joint FAO-IAEA Programme Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. An obstacle to development of the livestock sector Tsetse flies transmit parasitic diseases: trypanosomiases. In humans, they cause "sleeping sickness", which can be fatal if left untreated. In cattle, the infection causes reduced fertility, weight loss and sometimes death. Tsetse flies are a substantial obstacle to development of the livestock sector throughout sub-Saharan Africa, including in Senegal, where 80% of the milk consumed is imported. The stages of eradication The target zone for eradication operations covered 1000 km² of the Niayes region. Before operations began, the genetic isolation of the tsetse fly population had to be proved and their presence mapped in detail. "A previous programme in the 1970s began when only half the infested areas had been pinpointed. This doomed it to fail", says Jérémy Bouyer, a veterinary surgeon and entomologist with CIRAD currently posted to the IAEA, who has been working on the project since 2007. The methods developed by researchers from ISRA and CIRAD have enabled substantial progress, including a 90% reduction in sampling costs. Pedal of the gyrocopter used to release sterile male tsetse flies on zebus during small-scale transhumance between baobabs in the Niayes zone (Senegal) © CIRAD, J. Bouyer The sterile insect technique The project used socioeconomic studies and herd surveys to draft its eradication strategy. The operational phase then began in 2012. Installing insecticide traps and treating cattle reduced tsetse fly population levels, and releasing radiation-sterilized males wiped out the last remaining wild flies. The pupae (fly nymphs) used came from the Bobo-Dioulasso insectarium and the Centre International de recherche-développement sur l'élevage en zone subhumide (CIRDES, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso). This sterile insect technique has proved itself as a way of controlling many insect pests and vectors, such as fruit flies. At the start of the project, we were capturing up to 100 tsetse flies per trap, per day at some sites", Jérémy Bouyer recalls. "By July, we were finding one or two per month. We're now down to ze ro!" An annual gain of 2.8 million euros Eradicating tsetse flies will allow farmers to switch from disease-resistant cows, which are less productive, to more productive races. The resulting increase in production should generate around 2.8 million euros a year, according to the impact study conducted alongside the project. There is already another visible spin-off: a reduction in the areas cultivated by livestock farmers, a major issue given current levels of land pressure. How about extending to Sine Saloum? Buoyed by the eradication programme's success, the Senegalese authorities are planning to extend it to a 5000-km² zone of Sine Saloum. The tsetse fly problem is even more acute there, since they transmit two species of trypanosomes, one of which is much more virulent. PATTEC: a pan-African eradication campaign The results in Senegal fit into a vast pan-African tsetse fly eradication campaign (PATTEC), launched in 2001. CIRAD supported three national programmes, in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Senegal. "CIRAD played a role in knowledge production, training, and capacity-building, as well as in fostering a multi-partner network including policy-makers", says Sylvie Lewicki, CIRAD Regional Director for West Africa- Dry Zone. Source - https://www.eurekalert.org

12.12.2018

Ukraine - Grain harvest hits record 70 million tonnes

Ukraine’s grain harvest in 2018 hit a record 70 million tonnes, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said at a business forum on Dec. 11. In 2017, the nation harvested 61.28 million tonnes, according to the State Statistics Service. That was down 4.7 million tonnes from the 2016 harvest. Reports in November attributed the 2018 record crop to the high yield of corn. At that time, it was estimated the corn crop would reach a historical high of 34.8 million tonnes. As of Dec. 7, corn harvest was 98% complete, despite snow and current weather conditions. For the first time in several years, corn will not remain in the field over winter, it said. Typically, 5% to 10% of corn plantings have remained unharvested until spring, increasing grain losses. Source - https://www.world-grain.com

12.12.2018

China - First regional income insurance claims completed

Recently, more than 35,000 farmers in the four counties of Qixian, Linxian, Xingxian and Yufan of Shanxi Province, received a total of 3.425 million yuan of potato income insurance claims. This is the first  regional income insurance claim based on remote sensing technology. It took only 3 days for the insurance company, China Coal Insurance, to collect the price from the third-party website and pay the indemnity. According to reports, this year's potato regional income insurance average premium is 85 yuan per mu, 90% comes from the project funds subsidy and the remaining 10% is paid by the farmers. The agreed average income per mu is nearly 1,000 yuan, 2.5 times the traditional level of planting insurance, covering Natural disasters and market risks. It has greatly improved the level of protection for farmers. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

12.12.2018

India - No compensation for crop loss even after a year

Farmers of Jhaneri village, who suffered more than 75 per cent crop loss in April 2017 due to a hailstorm, are yet to get any compensation as revenue officers allegedly prepared a wrong report. The officers recommended compensation for only those farmers who suffered 50 per cent losses. The controversy has stopped the compensation for all farmers. The Bhawanigarh SDM in his report has confirmed that the report of the Revenue Department is incorrect. Sangrur ADC Rajdeep Brar during a meeting with affected farmers in Bhawanigarh on Tuesday announced a fresh probe and assured strict action against guilty officers. “I suffered more than 75 per cent loss of wheat crop. Revenue officers did not include my name for compensation even as the names of all farmers with 50 per cent loss of crop were included in the list. There are 81 affected farmers in our village,” said Parmjit Singh, a farmer of the village. Farmers claimed the hailstorm had affected 749 acres of standing wheat in their village on April 5, 2017. Out of these, 360 acres had suffered above 75 per cent loss of crop and the remaining 389 acres saw a 50-per cent loss of crop. “Officers prepared cheques for owners of 389 acres and ignored the others. When we got to know about this, we got the release of cheques stopped four months back,” said Manjit Singh Gharachon of BKU Ugrahan. When their repeated protests failed to get their issue resolved, farmers announced to launch an agitation in front of the SDM’s office. Bhawanigarh SDM Randeep Singh said he had submitted his report. “The assessment of damage to wheat was not done properly. Today, the Sangrur ADC met farmers in my office and assured them of an inquiry into the matter and rectify the anomalies,” he said. Source - https://www.tribuneindia.com

11.12.2018

USA - Arkansas soybean losses at $77 million

Heavy rainfall at harvest time this year cost Arkansas soybean farmers at least $77 million, according to agriculture experts with the University of Arkansas. In late September, with the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon coming up from the Gulf, parts of east-central and southeast Arkansas received more than 4 inches of rain. Above-normal rainfall continued into October and November, when farmers were trying to harvest their crops, especially soybeans. The wet conditions delayed harvest and, coupled with warm temperatures, caused "sprouting, mold, stalk rot and lodging, pod splitting and grain shatter," according to a report released by the University of Arkansas System's Division of Agriculture. Citing estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the report said the untimely rainfall primarily damaged the quality of soybeans and didn't have a "significant" effect on per-acre yields. Once harvested, some of the damaged beans saw heavy discounts at delivery to buyers, if they weren't rejected outright. The UA report put physical damage to soybeans at $56.2 million. Another $21 million to repair fields will be spent by farmers who sent their combines and grain hoppers into muddy fields to salvage their soybeans, according to the report by Jeremy Ross, a soybean agronomist, and two UA agriculture economists, H. Scott Stiles and K. Bradley Watkins. Farmers likely won't receive insurance money, because those plans largely cover damage caused by hail or wind, not quality of soybeans, Ross said Monday. That additional work will be required on 2.6 million acres, or 80 percent of Arkansas' 3.3 million acres of soybeans, before the 2019 crop can be planted, according to the report. The additional tillage will cost about $8 an acre, the report said. "Virtually every field has rut damage, and each will require one or two additional trips to repair the damage," Ross said. "It all adds up, labor, fuel, and a lot of equipment was put under a lot of stress in that late harvest." Discounts for quality ranged from 5 cents per bushel to $1.47 per bushel for sales between Sept. 1 and Nov. 28. Those per-bushel discounts amounted to $5.9 million on 73 percent of the state's projected 162.5 million bushels of beans, $23.7 million on 16 percent of the crop, and $26.5 million on the remaining 11 percent. Some beans were sold for less than $7 a bushel, compared with $10 a bushel a little more than a year ago. "Damage discounts for soybeans are reported to be significantly higher in 2018 relative to 2017," the report said. "It should be noted that there is no single discount table used across the Arkansas soybean markets and many transactions are conducted subject to change to reflect current market conditions." Arkansas generally has about the nation's 10th largest soybean crop each year, worth about $1.7 billion. By acreage, soybeans are the state's largest crop. The $77 million tally doesn't include losses sustained through tariffs placed on U.S. soybeans by China during an ongoing trade dispute. The lack of sales also forced many farmers nationwide to store their crops, resulting in an excess supply, further reducing commodity prices, the report said. "Many growers indicate they are storing a higher percentage of the 2018 soybean crop for deferred sale," the UA report said. "The motivations to place soybeans in storage vary" but include an assumption that beans could be rejected because of damage or in hopes that commodity prices will improve in the coming weeks or months. Export sales of soybeans have dropped 32 percent compared with last year, mostly because of the 97 percent cut in sales to China, according to the report. Sales to China dropped from 711.5 million bushels in 2017 to 21.5 million in 2018, the report said. Until this year, China annually bought about $13 billion worth of U.S. soybeans, or 60 percent of the crop. An increase in sales of soybeans this year to Mexico, Japan, Thailand and Spain hasn't made up the difference. "In previous years when demand for soybeans was much greater, off-grade beans could be mixed with undamaged soybeans, with the resulting blend sold on the international market as #2 beans," bringing only slight discounts, Ross, Stiles and Bradley wrote. "The current excess of supply of soybeans has greatly curtailed this activity." In early October, American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall told farmers in Woodruff County that they and their colleagues across the nation faced a "perfect storm" this year of low prices, poor weather and a trade war that brought commodity prices even lower. The USDA also has projected net farm income in the U.S. to fall by almost $10 billion, to $65.7 billion, a 13-percent drop from 2017. The Trump administration has set aside up to $12 billion to help farmers hurt by the tariffs, though agriculture experts have said that amount likely won't offset the total damages. Those payments are made to farmers only after their crops are harvested. Crops and commodities under the tariff-relief package include soybeans, cotton, corn, certain fruits and vegetables, and beef and hog production. The full harvest of Arkansas soybeans is still two or three weeks away, Ross said. "The elephant in the room is tariffs," Ross said. "If we hadn't had those, we wouldn't have had near the problem of getting rid of the beans. There would have been discounts, but the real problem was capacity. Elevators along the [Mississippi] river and in the Gulf got backed up, with no place to sell." Source - https://www.nwaonline.com

11.12.2018

USA - 2018 Farm Bill to legalize CBD, give hemp farmers crop insurance

The 2018 Farm Bill was expected to be voted on this Monday, December 10, but that didn’t happen. It’s possible it will still come to a vote this week. It is expected to pass with language legalizing hemp farming. It seems a compromise has been reached between the politicians on issues that had been stalling the legislation. Hemp farmers and CBD-related companies will benefit the most from the passage of the Farm Bill. CBD or cannabidiol is derived from the cannabis plant but has none of the psychotropic effects of THC. In The Farm Bill, there is language that amends the Controlled Substances Act and legalizes CBD. The passage reads as follows: ‘(B) The term ‘marihuana’ does not include— 10 ‘‘(i) hemp, as defined in section 297A of the 11 Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946; or 12 ‘‘(ii) the’’. 13 (b) TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL.—Schedule I, as set 14 forth in section 202(c) of the Controlled Substances Act 15 (21 U.S.C. 812(c)), is amended in subsection (c)(17) by 16 inserting after ‘‘Tetrahydrocannabinols’’ the following: ‘‘, 17 except for tetrahydrocannabinols in hemp (as defined 18 under section 297A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 19 1946)’’. It is expected to be removed from the DEA’s schedule 1 list to schedule 5, which is the lowest level and would lift the DEA’s restrictions. CBD products have already begun to explode in the marketplace in anticipation of these changes. “The cannabis industry is closely watching the outcome of the Farm Bill. And while we are seeing a lot of startups try to move in, nobody is better suited to operate in this market than experienced licensed cannabis manufacturers,” said Nancy Whiteman, founder, and CEO of Wana Brands, makers of cannabis-infused products.” Marijuana-infused producers have been perfecting precise dosing, testing, and supply chains for the past decade, and these companies will lead the way in the next generation of CBD products.”  Wana Brands has the leading THC gummy in Colorado, but it will be producing a CBD only version in 2019. GW Pharmaceuticals had its drug Epidiolex approved by the FDA earlier this year and removed from the schedule 1 category. This medicine though has a very high level of CBD, unlike the mass-market versions which have fairly low levels of CBD. Plus, patients know exactly what they are getting with the prescription drug. Consumers purchasing mass market CBD products generally have no idea how much CBD is in the product or how it was manufactured. “What is known about CBD is only the tip of the iceberg,” said Lisa Richards, co-CEO, L’eela CBD Body Care:  Consumers are just starting to understand the benefits of CBD, and when the floodgates open, they are going to need to be educated and be their own advocates. Hemp may be federally legal with the passage of the Farm Bill. However, more importantly, where is it sourced? How is it processed? The passage of the Farm Bill is only the first chapter.” All L’eela products are made with hemp that is grown and processed in the United States. Many companies use CBD oil that is made from Chinese hemp. In 2017, the FDA issued warning letters to several CBD companies. The products didn’t contain the level of CBD that they claimed or the companies made marketing claims about health conditions for which there was no scientific proof. With these new changes, the industry has a better chance of creating standards so that consumers can make educated choices. The Farmers In addition to boosting the product sales of CBD brands, the Farm Bill will benefit hemp farmers. Chase Terwilliger, CEO of CBDistillery, a Balanced Health Botanicals brand said that the biggest benefit to hemp farmers is that they will be able to buy crop insurance. Most farmers have this type of insurance to protect them from weather or anything else that could hurt a harvest. Hemp has only been approved from a research standpoint and so it wasn’t eligible for crop insurance. There is a big desire to shift some of the Chinese production of hemp back to the United States. One reason Senator McConnell has been supporting the inclusion of hemp in the Farm Bill is that it gives tobacco farmers in Kentucky a way to keep their farms productive. “Hemp is fairly inexpensive to grow and maintain,” he said. “But we hear from farmers that harvesting is a big challenge because the farm equipment isn’t designed to handle the product which is extremely fibrous.” Terwilliger also noted that hemp is a very absorbent plant and with China’s pollution, their hemp plants tend to have heavy metal exposure. “Consumers deserve a high-quality hemp plant,” he said. Farmers have already begun carving out small sections of their farms to begin testing hemp. 100 acres was seen as a little risk. Now, it is expected that many farmers will quickly make the switch if the plant is legal. Options Terwilliger also noted that like traditional agriculture, there could soon be hemp futures. Farmers like futures contracts on their crops as it locks in a price. Options traders will buy and sell these instruments like any other agricultural product. “It will turn into a commodity that futures can trade on,” he said. Source - https://www.greenmarketreport.com/

11.12.2018

Ghana - Stray animals pose threat to vegetable production

Non-enforcement of laws on stray animals in the Kassena-Nankana district of Ghana’s Upper East Region has been identified as one of the major threats to vegetable production in the area. A majority of people in the area depend on the production of agricultural vegetables as their primary source of livelihood. In the Anaanore community for instance, 75 percent of the population depends on the production of agricultural vegetables like tomato, pepper and onions. This was made known during a discussion on research findings conducted by the Anaanore Dry Season Farmers Association and sponsored by the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund and its development partners DANIDA, European Union and USAID. The research revealed that a lot of the vegetable farmers -often the younger ones- are forced to abandon their farms and migrate from the area to the southern part of the country to seek for greener pastures. The research discovered that the vegetable farmers are very worried because stray animals continue to destroy their vegetables on daily basis, making their investments go waste, and putting the survival of farming families at risk. The research also indicated that the situation had led to intense manifestation of hostilities and social frictions among crops and animal farmers in Anaanore community and asserted that they could have made larger profits if the stray animals did not destroy their crops. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

11.12.2018

India - Fire destroys sugarcane crops across Mandya sistrict

Fire has destroyed standing sugarcane crops grown in a total of 7 acres land at different places in Mandya District on Sunday. In the first incident, sugarcane crop grown in 2-acre area near Pandavapura Railway Station was gutted in a fire that broke out on Sunday morning. The land belonged to one Marigowda of Kennalu and the loss is estimated at Rs. 4 lakh. More than 20 workers were engaged in cane cutting, when fire suddenly broke out and engulfed the entire field. However, the labourers fled the field soon after seeing the fire. Although Fire Tenders doused the fire, the sugarcane crop had completely burnt down by then, it is learnt. Pandavapura Tahsildar M.V. Roopa visited the spot. In another incident, sugarcane crop grown in one acre area was burnt  down when fire broke out in a farmland at Hirikalale in K.R. Pet taluk on Sunday afternoon. The fire which reportedly broke out due to a short circuit in the power transmission line that ran over the field, destroyed fully grown crop cultivated by one Rajamma of the village. The loss is estimated at around Rs. 2 lakh. In yet another incident, sugarcane crop grown in 4 acres of land and ready for harvesting at Mallayyanadoddibore village in Mandya Taluk was burnt to ashes in a fire that broke out yesterday afternoon. The land belonged to one B.C. Suresh of Hale Boodanru village. Fire Tenders from Mandya rushed to the spot and doused the fire, but by then the crop was reduced to ashes. Source - https://starofmysore.com

11.12.2018

South Korea - Poor weather affects apple production - 14 percent decrease

Bad weather during the flowering and fruit growing seasons will probably cause the Korean fresh apple production to decrease by 14 percent to 467,800 metric tons (MT) in Marketing Year 2018/19. Meanwhile, the area where apples are grown continues to shift northward in response to localized effects of climate change. Consumption is expected to decrease in line with a decline in production and rising prices. Consumption Korea’s per capita apple consumption in 2017 reached 10.5 kilograms, making apples the second most consumed fruit in Korea, after citrus (11.6 kg). In 2018, the per capita consumption of apples is expected to decrease to 9.4 kilograms mainly due to decreased apple supply caused by the aforementioned poor weather conditions during the flowering and fruit growing seasons. Korea’s apple industry forecasts that demand for small and medium-size apples, which weigh between 51 and 250 grams, is expected to increase steadily in the coming years due to a continued increase in the number of single-member households in Korea. Large-size apples (weighing between 251 and 300 grams) are expected to be used mainly for gift-giving during the two traditional Korean holidays (the lunar New Year’s Day & the Korean Thanksgiving Day). As fresh apples can be sold in the local market at a more profitable price than when they are exported, not many Korean apple farmers are focused on the export market. Annual fresh apple exports account for about one percent of total production. In marketing year 2017/18, Korea exported 2,901 MT of fresh apples. Taiwan is the biggest export market for Korean fresh apples with a 56 percent share (1,639 MT), followed by Vietnam with 14 percent. Korean fresh apple exports to Vietnam for the past three years increased 41 percent to 418 MT in MY 2017/18 from 296 MT in MY 2016/17 due to increased demand for Korean fresh fruits, including pears and strawberries, with the continuing popularity of Korean culture. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

11.12.2018

Pakistan - Agriculture, livestock farmers to get protection

National Bank of Pakistan and United Insurance Company (UIC) have entered a deal to support the agriculture sector of the country. According to the deal, the UIC will provide insurance cover to agriculture and livestock farmers so that they can be saved from losses. Speaking at the occasion, Chairman of the United International Group Mian MA Shahid said that they initiated crop and livestock insurance in the country which resulted in record growth. They consider serving farming communities and saving them from shocks as a social work which has helped our company a lot. Mian Shahid said that agriculture sector is prone to price and climate shocks for which an insurance cover is imperative. He noted that the share of agriculture has reduced to just 18 percent from 21 per cent. Still, he said, this sector is providing jobs to 42 per cent of the labour while 75 per cent of exports are linked to this sector. The business leader informed that country’s 64 per cent population lives in rural areas which are tied to the agriculture sector which include four million livestock farmers. He noted that Pakistan produces 38 per cent of wheat per acre as compare to France, 29 percent rice as compared to US yield and almost half cotton as compared to China. During the last twenty years, Brazil has increased agricultural production by 400 percent but the situation at home is not satisfactory. Stabilized prices of seed, fertilizer, insecticides, and provision of cheap energy can help boost the agriculture sector, he said. Source - https://nation.com.pk

10.12.2018

USA - Hemp legalization included in new farm bill could ‘open the floodgates’ on nascent industry

The final 2018 Farm Bill is expected to be voted on as early as next week. The bill would legalize hemp cultivation and could be a catalyst for explosive growth in a nascent industry that some forecast could top $20 billion by 2022. The long-awaited bill would remove industrial hemp from the federal government’s list of controlled substances, making  it a lawful agricultural commodity. The hemp legislation introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., earlier this year also allows states to become the primary regulators of hemp cultivation, enables researchers to apply for federal grants and makes the crop eligible for crop insurance. “This open the floodgates for this industry to grow very rapidly and scale on a national level,” said Bethany Gomez, director of research for Brightfield Group, a cannabis market researcher based in Chicago. The lion’s share of the roughly $800 million U.S. hemp market today is for products that include the non-psychoactive compound CBD, cannabidiol. Products infused with CBD are used for a wide range of medical conditions, ranging from epilepsy and multiple sclerosis to arthritis and chronic pain. Laws involving CBD products differ in each state. Investor interest Up to now, industrial hemp production in the U.S. has been restricted to mostly research and pilot programs although imports from Canada, China and Europe have helped fill domestic demand for everything from hemp seeds to fibers. The legalization of hemp cultivation could boost investor interest across the sector. “In the long run, it’s all going to be managed and controlled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, just like corn, soybeans and everything else,” said Chris Boucher, CEO of Farmtiva, a California-based hemp cultivation company. “It will also become an agricultural commodity, which in turn will allow crop insurance and Wall Street will be able to invest institutional funds into the hemp industry.” House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., told reporters Tuesday the farm bill could be passed as early as next week. “With any luck it’ll be passed by the end of next week, but knowing how things go around here it may drag into the week after,” said Peterson, who is expected to become chairman of the House agriculture panel in the new Congress. A day earlier, Peterson told Minnesota Public Radio he was considering becoming a hemp producer. “I may grow some hemp on my farm,” he said. “I’m looking at it. There’s a big market for this stuff that we’ve been ceding to Canada and other places.” Hemp is a cannabis cousin of marijuana but it contains low levels of THC, the chemical that produces a “high” for pot users. Industrial hemp is used to make everything from apparel, foods and pharmaceuticals to personal care products, car dashboards and building materials. “The vast majority of the market right now is going for CBD products,” said Brightfield Group’s Gomez. “You can find some hemp seed-based beauty products or hemp in some cereals and things like that, and there’s such usage on the fibers for like clothes and other industrial purposes, but that’s really minimal right now.” Brightfield Group estimates the domestic hemp market could reach $22 billion in the next four years. The estimate factors in the hemp amendment in the farm bill becoming law. Hemp Industry Daily projects the hemp-derived CBD retail market will reach between $2.5 billion and $3.1 billion by 2022, which assumes growth in retail penetration but a scenario of no major change in current federal policies concerning hemp. Tobacco states push hemp “There are three words why we have hemp now, and those words are tobacco state Republicans,” said Kristin Nichols, editor at Denver-based Hemp Industry Daily, a publication owned by MJBizDaily. “There’s been strong support from lawmakers and politicians up and down in former tobacco states looking for a replacement crop.” The hemp provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill were in the Senate version of the legislation sponsored by Senate Majority Leader McConnell. The Kentucky Republican put himself on the joint Senate-House conference committee formed to hammer out the details of the final farm bill. “I know there are farming communities all over the country who are interested in this,” McConnell said in June when discussing the hemp legalization legislation before the Senate Agriculture Committee. “Mine are particularly interested in it, and the reason for that is — as all of you know — our No. 1 cash crop used to be something that’s really not good for you: tobacco. And that has declined significantly, as it should, given the public health concerns. According to Nichols, cannabis generally grows well in areas where tobacco production once thrived, such as Kentucky and North Carolina. In the case of Kentucky, the state received over $2 billion in Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement funds and is using some of money to invest in growing its hemp industry. Both chambers of Congress passed the farm bill in June but major differences between the bills caused a delay in finalizing an agreement. An agreement in principle on the bill was reached in late November. Hemp legalization is just one element of the wide-ranging farm bill. The legislation also covers farm subsidies and food stamps as well as trade and rural development policy. The House’s version of the farm bill didn’t originally include hemp legalization amendment. But the final version expected to be filed Monday and be voted on as early as Wednesday or Thursday in the House includes McConnell’s amendment. The farm bill is usually renewed every five years and the last one expired Sept. 30. The previous farm bill, from 2014, relaxed hemp laws and allowed farmers in a handful of states, including Kentucky, to grow the crop as part of research projects. “This will open up a lot of new markets for retailers who have been cautious,” said Lex Pelger, science director for Bluebird Botanicals, a Colorado-based company producing hemp derived CBD products. “What we’re doing is already legal under the 2014 Farm Bill, but the power of the 2018 Farm Bill is that it clearly clears hemp for general commerce.” Easy to grow crop Pelger said hemp is growing in Colorado despite the state not having a reputation as a farming hub. “It grows really well in a large range of climates and a large range of soils,” he said. More than 77,000 acres of hemp were planted in research and development programs this year, according to VoteHemp, an advocacy group. That is up sharply from 2017 when there were nearly 26,000 acres of hemp crops planted. At least 40 states have legalized industrial hemp farming or done pilot programs, usually research through a university or state agriculture agency. The hemp legislation also allows states to become the primary regulators of hemp cultivation, allows researchers to apply for federal grants and makes the crop eligible for crop insurance. California is the nation’s largest agricultural state but so far has lagged when it comes to hemp production. Hemp can be more profitable to grow than tobacco or even some other key crops. “You can make $20,000, $40,000 or $50,000 an acre on hemp, depending on percentage of your CBD,” said Farmtiva’s Boucher. He said fiber and hemp seed crops will produce less on per-acre basis but still be “maybe twice as much as corn.” In October, Gov. Jerry Brown signed state legislation allowing industrial hemp cultivation in the state starting in 2019. Given the favorable climate in parts of California, farmers can get up to two crops per year of hemp plants. “California is the big agricultural monster and if these farmers really get into hemp, they could take a good chunk of the supply chain,” said Farmtiva’s Boucher. “Unfortunately, we’re three or four years behind Colorado, Kentucky and Oregon and so we have some catching up to do.” Source - https://www.cnbc.com

10.12.2018

India - Fact Check: Congress and The Wire spread falsehoods about Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

As times evolve, a new system of lying has been invented. It is termed as a “White Lie” and it has been known to humans since the ages, however, it is only recently that these lies have proliferated into the media industry. If I tell you I killed a person but don’t tell you that I am a cop and the person killed was a terrorist, you will end up thinking I am a criminal. That’s how white lies and half-truths are spread to obfuscate and confuse the readers. Something similar has been happening with Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) launched in 2016. Everybody is presenting facts based on fancy “RTI queries” but no one puts it in the right perspective. Based on an RTI query, The Hindu published an article claiming the number of farmers covered under PMFBY has dropped down by 84 lakhs between 2016-17 to 2017-18 while The Wire has claimed that Rs 2829 crore dues haven’t been paid to the farmers in last two years 2016-17 and 2017-18. Only Kharif data available for 2017-18 which is 8.2% of the total estimated claims. Even though the figures of Rabi 2017-18 are not available according to the RTI reply reported by Wire, we will use the available data to disprove their hypothesis. Let us deal with these issues one by one. Why Farmers Quit PMFBY   As you can see, there is a drop of about 84 lakhs in the total farmers insured. But without looking at the macro picture, it is downright incorrect and disingenuous. Notice that it is loanee farmers who have reduced in a chunk while non-loanee farmers are constant. The drop is significantly noted in big states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka who have announced huge farm loan waivers around 2017-18 Any loanee farmer takes farm insurance as a surety that if his crop is damaged, he would at least pay off loans with the help of insurance he gets. Once the loans get waived by the State, farmers tend to exit from the PM Fasal Bima Yojana Bank Loans and Insurance are closely related. Banks make it mandatory for farmers to take up insurance policies so that if the farmer defaults, they can recover some loan amount from the farmers’ insurance premium. Insurance companies too find it suitable to sell policies from banks due to reduced marketing costs. Thus, loan waivers and insurance are closely related. The last factor is the good monsoon in 2017 that reduced uncertainties which resulted in the drop in the number of farmers insured. If in spite of loan waivers by three big states, the farmers under PMFBY drop by mere 84 lakh out of whopping 5.72 crores, isn’t it an indicator that the scheme is still alive and kicking? Pending Dues The Wire claims there is a backlog of Rs 2,829 crores in the last two years in the settling of insurance claims. It says the total estimated claims were Rs 34,441 crores out of which Rs 31,612 crore are settled. Rest Rs 2,829 remain to be settled, which is 8.2% of the total estimated claims. For comparison, let’s look at the two years before Fasal Bima was launched (2014-15 and 2015-16) and compare it with two years of Fasal Bima (2016-17 and 2017-18) and see the claims reported, claims settled and claims due. The figures are cumulative of Kharif and Rabi seasons. Note- Before PMFBY was launched, there were three insurance schemes namely National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS), Modified National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (MNAIS) and Weather-based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) (All figures from annexure of 2017 CAG report on crop insurance) Thus, the pendency of dues was almost 45% in the pre-Fasal Bima days while the pendency has reduced to 8.2% in the two years of PM Fasal Bima, as noted before. Although claims are still being held up, the gap has reduced considerably. If pendency actually reduced after PM Fasal Bima Yojana was launched, can one really claim PMFBY has benefitted insurance companies? The falsehood, other than The Wire, was also spread by Congress leader P Chidambaram. To cut the long story short, PMFBY has been a definite improvement over the earlier insurance schemes. It has reduced the burden of a premium on the farmers to the level of 1.5% for Rabi crops, 2% for Kharif and 5% for horticultural crops. There is no cap on government subsidy on premiums. It covers post-harvest losses too. The scheme aims at a long-term aim of full insurance coverage for farmers. Lots of improvement needs to be done. But judging it prematurely and based on white lies and half-baked narratives reeks of malicious intentions. Source - https://www.opindia.com

10.12.2018

Australia - Entire crop of garlic stolen from farm at Cockatoo

Thieves have stolen a garlic grower’s entire crop — estimated to be worth up to $15,000 — just a week before harvest. It is believed 300kg to 400kg of garlic was stolen straight out of the ground from the Cockatoo farm, north of Pakenham, overnight between Sunday, November 25 and Tuesday, November 27. With little to go on, police are calling on the public to help with their investigation. “There’s no CCTV, you can’t fingerprint dirt, so unfortunately police have no lines of inquiry unless credible information is forthcoming from the public,” Sergeant David Calkin from Emerald police said. Sgt Calkin said 17 rows of the organic Italian garlic was due to be harvested last week. The victim, Leah McLeod, took to Facebook to share news of her devastating loss. “Late Sunday or Monday night, my entire garlic crop was stolen from the field,” Ms McLeod said. She said the crop was valued from $10,000 to $15,000. The thieves would most likely try to sell it to green grocers, restaurants or farmers’ markets, she said. But she said: “Although this has been devastating and disheartening, I’m not giving up on my dream of becoming a successful farmer — I’ll be back with gusto and garlic next year.” Source - https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au

10.12.2018

Chile - Agricultural emergency zone decreed in 10 communes of O'Higgins

The Minister of Agriculture, Antonio Walker, decreed an agricultural emergency zone in the municipalities of Mostazal, Graneros, Codegua, Machali, Rancagua, Requinoa, Rengo, Olivar, Malloa, and Chimbarongo, due to the complex situation that the hailstorm that took place on November 12 and that affected agricultural producers in those locations generated in that area. "We have decreed an emergency zone in 10 communes in the O'Higgins Region. In addition to the aid that will be delivered directly by the agricultural services, this measure will allow us to access $300 million of the Regional Government fund," said the head of the ministry. Regarding the economic impact that this climatological event had on the area, the Minister said "we have already fully surveyed the area affected and we are sure that this incident won't have a significant impact on employability or on the region's economic activity." Minister Walker said that the Ministry of Agriculture had already allocated $215 million to support small farmers who use the Indap. In turn, Conaf has redirected the emergency employment program, generating 100 quotas for the affected areas. In addition, the Institute of Agricultural Research (Inia) is conducting technical trainings at the farms, mainly focused on the management of affected orchards. "This doesn't end today. We want to monitor the delivery of resources to ​​continue to accompany the producers who have to replant and whose working capital has been affected. We are not going to leave them alone," said Minister Walker. Along these lines, Corfo has committed to support medium-sized farmers through its IPRO program with nearly $300 million that the National Fund for Rural Development (FNDR) had originally allocated for investment projects. The purpose is to support the reactivation of the economic activity of the companies that were affected by natural emergencies or disasters. Authorities are also working on a second stage, in which they will generate a plan for the economic reactivation of the affected area. The idea is that, at the beginning of 2019, Corfo presents a PAR program and Sercotec a seed capital to the FNDR. This is being worked out with a Regional Minister of Economy, and should be executed in the first semester of 2019. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com