Articles Written by Michael Hogan

Swine fever found in Germany putting pork exports at risk

Country had been fencing off borders against wild boar

By Michael Hogan, Thomas Escritt September 10, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes Berlin/Hamburg | Reuters — Germany confirmed on Thursday that African swine fever (ASF) had been found in a dead wild boar near its border with Poland, threatening pork exports to China from Europe’s biggest pork producer, which were worth US$1.2 billion last year. Authorities in the German state of Brandenburg quarantined a 15-km area around […] Read more

Cereals, Crops

Drought slashes EU wheat, export surplus to be cut

By Gus Trompiz, Michael Hogan, Nigel Hunt August 10, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Hamburg | Reuters – Drought and a heatwave that scorched fields in northern Europe may cut the European Union’s wheat export surplus and the bloc will need to consume more of its own grains, experts said on Friday. French analysts Strategie Grains forecast a 10 percent smaller EU soft wheat harvest this year, with northern […] Read more

Hay, Livestock

Straw prices soar, piling pressure on N.Europe livestock farmers

In some areas straw now more expensive than grains

By Michael Hogan, Nigel Hunt August 9, 2018

Reading Time: 3 minutes Hamburg | London | Reuters – Livestock and dairy farmers across northern Europe are paying soaring prices for straw used in food and bedding for cattle, as hot, dry weather across the region reduces crops. The higher bills put further pressure on farmers already facing one of their toughest summers ever; many have had to […] Read more

Cereals, Crops, Reuters

Saudi Arabian agency stops buying Canadian wheat, barley

By Michael Hogan August 7, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Hamburg | Reuters – Saudi Arabia’s main state wheat buying agency has told grains exporters it will no longer buy Canadian wheat and barley in its international tenders, European traders said on Tuesday, as a diplomatic dispute between the two countries escalates. Traders said they had received an official notice from the Saudi Grains Organization […] Read more

Reuters, Soybeans

China may have to resume U.S. soybean purchases in weeks – Oil World

By Michael Hogan August 7, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Hamburg | Reuters – China may have to start buying U.S. soybeans again in coming weeks despite the trade war between the two countries as other regions cannot supply enough soybeans to meet China’s needs, Hamburg-based oilseeds analysts Oil World said on Tuesday. In July, China imposed import tariffs on a list of U.S. goods, […] Read more

Crops, Reuters

Heatwave ravages European fields, sending wheat prices soaring

By Michael Hogan, Polina Devitt, Sybille De La Hamaide August 2, 2018

Reading Time: 3 minutes Paris | Moscow | Hamburg | Reuters – Searing heat has devastated wheat fields across northern Europe while a combination of dry conditions and extreme rain in the Black Sea have hit output estimates, with prices soaring on fears of further crop damage. Evidence of serious harm to crops is growing as harvesting heads north in […] Read more

Crops, Reuters

German farmers seek 1 billion euros in drought aid

By Michael Hogan July 30, 2018

Reading Time: < 1 minute Hamburg | Reuters – Farmers in Germany need special aid of around 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) because of damage to harvests caused by drought and heatwave, the head of German farming association DBV said on Monday. The aid should be paid to farmers who have lost 30 percent and more of their harvests, DBV […] Read more

Dairy Cattle, Livestock, Reuters

EU farming chief wants rapid Brexit talks, plans new dairy aid

By Michael Hogan June 30, 2016

Reading Time: 2 minutes Hannover, Germany | Reuters — Europe’s agriculture industry, already grappling with a dairy crisis, wants rapid talks about Britain’s exit from the European Union to minimise disruption, EU farming commissioner Phil Hogan said on Thursday. “Farmers know better than anyone that you need stability and certainty to plan for the future,” Hogan said in a […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters

Russia now expected to leave grain tax scheme intact

By Michael Hogan, Polina Devitt January 29, 2016

Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters — Russia, one of the world’s largest wheat exporters, is not expected to change its current regime of taxes on grain exports, sources said on Friday, following proposals to change them. Concerns over the possibility of tougher limits on Russia’s foreign sales of wheat sent global prices to a one-month high earlier […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters

U.S. grains: Soybeans slide as concern about Chinese growth persists

By Michael Hogan, Rod Nickel August 26, 2015

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — U.S. soybean prices dropped on Wednesday on concern that interest rate cuts in China may not be enough to stimulate growth in the key importer. Corn slipped on technical selling, and Chicago wheat lost ground on concerns about export competition as the dollar rose, traders said. Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) November soybeans […] Read more

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