Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — In the latest supply and demand report from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the global wheat forecast was revised downward due to difficult weather conditions. USDA has now projected 765.53 million tonnes of wheat to be produced in 2019-20, according to the department’s world agriculture supply and demand estimates (WASDE), released Thursday. That’s […] Read more
Global wheat production to decrease, USDA says
New EU import curbs on fruit not Canada-specific
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — New European Union rules that could block shipments of Canadian cherries and other fruits to the 28-nation grouping apply to all countries and “was not unusual,” a senior Canadian official said on Friday. The clarification from federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau came a day after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) […] Read more
EU set to halt imports of Canadian cherries, other fruits
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ottawa | Reuters — The European Union will halt imports of Canadian cherries and other fresh fruits starting Sept. 1 as it enforces new import requirements related to pests, according to a Canadian government document sent to industry on Thursday. In the notice, which was seen by Reuters, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the […] Read more
British food lobby warns of food shortages from no-deal Brexit
Reading Time: 3 minutes London | Reuters — Britain will experience shortages of some fresh foods for weeks or even months if a disorderly no-deal Brexit leaves perishable produce rotting in lorries at ports, Britain’s food and drink lobby warned on Wednesday. Retailers such as Tesco have warned that leaving the European Union on Oct. 31 without a transition […] Read more
Canada, EU agree to swine fever zoning rules
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada and Europe have agreed to new zoning arrangements in a case of African swine fever outbreak, but it’s not clear what will actually change. The agreement, which Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced Wednesday. would allow for safe trade of swine products from disease-free zones if a case of ASF is found. Zoning principles applying […] Read more
U.S., Canada, 14 others slam EU farm product regulation at WTO
Reading Time: 2 minutes Geneva | Reuters — The United States and 15 other countries launched a broadside of criticism at the European Union on Thursday, saying its “hazard-based” approach to regulating pesticides and other “critical tools” used by farmers was damaging livelihoods worldwide. Their statement, submitted to the World Trade Organization, said the EU’s approach created great uncertainty […] Read more
The German question
Now that they’ve recovered from communism, these East German farms worry about the excesses of democracy
Reading Time: 9 minutes The fall of the iron curtain in l989 brought democracy to the former East Germany (DDR). For farmers like Bernd Klänhammer at Penkun, an hour and a half northeast of Berlin, it also brought, for the first time in their careers, the freedom to make their own decisions. Of course, Klänhammer wasn’t the only one […] Read more
EU says ready to launch U.S. trade talks, but without agriculture
Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters — The European Union is ready to start talks on a trade agreement with the United States and aims to conclude a deal before year-end, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Monday. The EU approved two areas for negotiation, opposed by France with an abstention from Belgium. But agriculture was not […] Read more
The two sides of Denmark
They share so much, but under it all the Peterson and Dall farms have made some very different choices
Reading Time: 9 minutes Two farmers; two philosophies. Jorgen Popp Peterson and Mogens Dall are hog farmers in southern Denmark. Both are 55 years old. Each has adult children, both wives work off-farm, and each man is also heavily involved in politics, and on agricultural councils as well. But amid the similarities, there is this great difference. One farms […] Read more
Farming on the edge
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farming on the three Aran Islands off the coast of Galway, Ireland, is quite literally, farming on the edge. Or, actually, on many kinds of edges. Winter pastures on the north coast cling to cliffs that jut into the crashing Atlantic, while on the southern side, orchid-strewn summer pastures sweep gently between ancient stone walls […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
