U.S.-China ag trade endures amid rancorous rivalry
China was far and away the top customer for U.S. food and ag exports, despite rising tensions between the nations and the still-unresolved trade war, according to government data released on Monday. Agricultural economist David Widmar said China was on track to break the record it set last year for purchases of American agricultural products.
Soil, people, landforms are factors in tree diversity
For more than 200 years, scientists have known that tree diversity — the number of different types of trees found near each other — is highest near the equator and diminishes moving into the middle and higher latitudes. The conventional explanation for this decline in local species richness has been temperature and precipitation.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Billion-dollar beef pace: U.S. beef exports averaged $1 billion per month for the first half of this year, up 33 percent from the same period in 2021, despite congested ports and economic challenges in key markets. (U.S. Meat Export Federation)
Anonymous comments okay: Citing producers’ retaliation fears, the Agricultural Marketing Service underscored that it will accept anonymous comments on its proposal to revamp its regulations of the so-called tournament system used by poultry processors to determine pay to farmers. (USDA)
Salty water further upstream: As drought reduces streamflow in California rivers, tides are pushing salt water further into the Sacramento River Delta, reducing fresh water supplies for farm irrigation and city water systems. (Associated Press)
Tyson can’t fill orders: Tyson Foods’ sales were down by 1.9 percent in the April to June quarter because it was unable to fill orders for chicken and prepared foods due to shortages of workers and supplies. (Reuters)
Reducing nitrogen fertilizer: Scientists used chemical screening and genomics to identify compounds in rice plants that encourage bacteria to convert nitrogen in the air into ammonium in the soil, feeding the plants while reducing the need for expensive fertilizer. (UC Davis)
