Market News
A team of international scientists is going to spend $10 million to try to breed a herd of cows that do not burp a lot, with the idea to cut down on the cows' methane emissions. The scientists are going to start with 25 of these dairy cows and expand the herd to 1,400 through selective breeding, reports the University of Aberdeen, which is leading the project, reported Newser. Full Story
Indonesian coffee production is expected to decline by 5.5% in Marketing Year (MY) 2013/2014. Lower production is principally due to poor weather, to include drought co nditions during flowering, followed by excessive rainfall during early cherry development. It is estimated that bad weather impacted about 85% of Indonesia's coffee producing areas. USDA Report
A biennial bearing "on" year has boosted New Zealand's apple production to 519,000 metric tons (MT), an 8% jump year on year. As a result apple exports are forecast to jump up 10% year on year to 306,000 MT. Industry participants claim the export markets look promising this year and apple growers are cautiously optimistic that per carton returns will be higher than 2012's. USDA Report
Bee keepers' use of corn syrup and other honey substitutes as bee feed may be contributing to colony collapse by depriving the insects of compounds that strengthen their immune systems, according to a new study. U.S. bee keepers lost nearly a third of their colonies last winter as part of an ongoing and largely unexplained decline in the population of the crop-pollinating insects that could hurt the U.S. food supply, reported Reuters. Full Story
In Michigan, the state requires all cattle to carry electronic ear tags, and is the only state that requires such tags. Michigan's cattle-tracking system was forced on farmers because of a crisis; some 15 years ago, cattle in part of the state started catching tuberculosis from wild deer. Three years ago, the state of Michigan ordered cattle farmers to put special electronic tags on their animals. Today, whenever a steer or cow leaves a farm in Michigan, or goes to a slaughterhouse, it passes by a tag reader, and its ID number goes to a central computer that keeps track of every animal's location, reported NPR. Full Story
Moving the California blueberry industry from a predominantly hand-harvested process to a mechanized one will require a coordinated effort of farmers, breeders, researchers, and other industry participants. This was a takeaway message from a recent blueberry field day conducted by the University of California Cooperative Extension in Central California in May. Much of the discussion during the event was a shift toward using a wild variety rootstock for blueberry plantings called Vaccinium arboretum, reported Western Farm Press. Full Story
May ended up being a record month for Florida sweet corn after a slow start to the spring deal following early March freezes. Shipments for the month are up more than 27% from average May volume during the previous two years. There are a number of factors that have contributed to this success. The development of the "Sunshine Sweet" brand has provided retailers with consistently superior quality throughout the spring, and innovative promotional offerings provide members greater flexibility in developing effective programs with their customers, reported The Produce News. Full Story
California's Stanislaus County is beginning its apricot season, and supply will remain strong throughout June. California is the apricot state, producing about 98% of the nation's crop. But California apricots have been heavily affected by imports. The 2013 harvest should total about 57,000 tons, same as last year, according to the president of the Apricot Producers of California, reported The Modesto Bee. Full Story (Paid Subscription Required)
Extreme frost affected crops in Arizona in the past few winters. The unusual cold caused blackened peach blossoms, dying citrus crops, mushy spinach bunches, withered kale greems and frost-glazed heads of lettuce. Farms lost at least 20% of their crops in the past three years, reported the Arizona Daily Star. Full Story
The size of the 2013 fresh pear harvest is projected to be approximately 19.8 million standard 44-lb. box equivalents, according to representatives of the Northwest pear industry. This estimate is 4% larger than the five-year average and 2% larger than last year's crop, which would make the forthcoming crop the third-largest on record, reported The Produce News. Full Story
Corn cobs left in the field after harvest can boost soil quality; beyond that, the tough cobs can be used to make a whole host of products. ARS scientists have now discovered "overachiever" yeast that breaks down and ferments the sugars that are left behind in the corncobs after the xylose has been extracted. This works even without the addition of a costly enzyme, a breakthrough that could help make cellulosis ethanol production a cost-effective proposition, reported Western Farm Press. Full Story
Wheat planting delays in North Dakota, the largest U.S. producer after Kansas, are the worst since at least 1981 as the wettest start of the year on record leaves fields across the state too muddy, reported Bloomberg. Full Story
Researchers have shown that exposing strawberries to low levels of ultraviolet light doubles their shelf life. What exactly the lights are doing to the berries to stave off mold is unknown, according to a researcher at USDA's Food Components and Health Laboratory, who led the experiments as a side project with funding from the LED maker, Sensor Electronic Technology, reported NBC News. Full Story
The Indian government's wheat procurement missed its estimate by nearly half this year, which may put pressure on the administration in its preparation to enact a food-security law. Lower purchases would also decrease surplus stocks available for exports after India emerged as a leading exporter of wheat in the past few months. The government is now expected to procure about 25 million metric tons from farmers this year, compared with its initial estimate of 44 million tons to 45 million tons, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)
Coffee exported from Brazil increased 17.1% in May from May 2012, CeCafe, an exporters association stated. In May, Brazil exported 2.47 million 132-pound bags, while in May 2012 2.11 million bags were sold. However, sales revenue declined 11.3% in the same period, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)
Minnesota and Wisconsin dairy farmers lost nearly 2 million acres of alfalfa to the extreme winter. The protein-rich alfalfa is used in the area as a food source for the cows. Farmers are trying to replant but have to wait for warmer weather, reported The St. Cloud Times. Full Story
U.S. orange juice sales look to finish the 2012-13 citrus season about even with the previous season, not a stunning performance at first glance but an improvement over 7% declines for the past two seasons and a plunge of more than 30% over the previous 12 seasons. But a deeper dive into the numbers reveals an even brighter picture for Florida growers because sales of not-from-concentrate (NFC) orange juice have shown impressive gains - up 3% for the season through May 11 - despite the fact it carries the highest price among all OJ products. Despite that performance, total orange juice sales in U.S. supermarkets remained flat through May 11, the most recent sales figures available, reported The Lakeland Ledger. Full Story (Free Registration Required)