Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — The United States said on Friday it was “alarmed” by a Houthi missile strike on a Turkish vessel carrying wheat to Yemen this month and urged the Shi’ite group to work with the United Nations to alleviate Yemenis’ suffering. The Turkish-flagged Ince Inebolu bulk carrier was damaged by an explosion on […] Read more
U.S. alarmed by strike on ship delivering wheat to Yemen

Opinion: No pedestal required
The more I learn about leadership, the more I see that the best opportunities for our farms start when we empower others
Reading Time: 4 minutes Social research professor Dr. Brené Brown reminds us that: “Connections are why we are here. It is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.” In agriculture and agri-business we tend to connect on a very deep level, driven in part by shared values and interests. As a community, our congregating is visible in every […] Read more

In glyphosate review, WHO cancer agency edited out ‘non-carcinogenic’ findings
Reading Time: 7 minutes London | Reuters — The World Health Organization’s cancer agency dismissed and edited findings from a draft of its review of glyphosate herbicide that were at odds with its final conclusion that the chemical probably causes cancer. Documents seen by Reuters show how a draft of a key section of the International Agency for Research […] Read more

Africa feeding Africa
While North America’s farmers pin their career hopes on the need to feed a hungry Africa, that continent’s farmers are making plans of their own
Reading Time: 5 minutes A core belief in North American agriculture is that our farmers must produce ever more food if we are to have any hope of feeding the world, particularly areas like Africa where the population is growing so rapidly. The numbers are indeed staggering. According to the Population Reference Bureau, Africa’s population will hit 2.5 billion […] Read more
U.N. picks former U.S. governor to run World Food Programme
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has appointed former South Carolina Governor David Beasley to run the Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP), at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed slashing funding for the world body and its agencies. Beasley will replace another American, Etharin Cousin, who has been the WFP executive […] Read more

Lentils, chickpeas can help reverse soil erosion trend, U.N. says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Rome | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Planting more lentils, chickpeas and other pulses will improve the health of the world’s soils that have reached critical levels, threatening to worsen hunger and poverty levels, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Monday. About a third of the world’s soils are degraded because of soil […] Read more

Ignoring Trump, UN talks seek to turn climate pledges into action
Reading Time: 2 minutes Morocco/Reuters – Almost 200 nations began work on Monday to turn promises for fighting climate change into action at a UN conference that played down threats to a 2015 global agreement if Republican Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidency. At the start of two-week talks in Morocco, many delegates wore badges with a smiling picture […] Read more

World food markets set for stable year: FAO
Reading Time: 2 minutes Rome | Reuters — Global food commodity markets are likely to remain stable in the coming year, the United Nations’ food agency said on Thursday, even as prices rose for the fourth straight month. Solid output prospects and abundant stocks should keep prices and supplies stable, while lower prices than those seen last year are […] Read more

U.N. experts find glyphosate unlikely to cause cancer
Reading Time: 2 minutes London | Reuters — The herbicide glyphosate, sold by Monsanto in its Roundup product and widely used in agriculture and by gardeners, is unlikely to cause cancer in people, according to a new safety review by United Nations health, agriculture and food experts. In a statement likely to intensify a row over its potential health […] Read more

Germany looks set to abstain in EU glyphosate vote
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Germany looks set to abstain in a European Union vote next week on the continued use of glyphosate in weed killers because ministries run by different parties remain at odds over the chemical which some experts say could be carcinogenic. Glyphosate is used in many herbicides including Monsanto’s Roundup, despite a dispute between […] Read more