War drives UN food index to highest level ever
The UN index of food prices, already at a record high, rose by 12.5 percent in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with world wheat prices soaring nearly 20 percent, said the Food and Agriculture Organization. Wheat prices were so high, said USDA analysts in a separate report, that consumers in sub-Saharan Africa may find it cheaper to eat rice, ordinarily the more expensive staple grain.
Vilsack recuperating from Covid-19; ‘thankfully, my symptoms are mild’
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack “will continue his official duties” while isolating and recovering from Covid-19, said the Agriculture Department on Saturday. Vilsak is the latest among Washington officials, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Attorney General Merrick Garland, to test positive for the disease, in the past week.
Bird flu spreads in northern Plains, Minnesota hit again
For the first time this year, officials identified highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in domestic flocks in Montana and Colorado. With the discoveries, bird flu has been found in 25 states, from Maine and North Carolina to Texas and Wyoming since early February and at 159 sites totaling 24.65 million birds, mostly chickens and turkeys, according to USDA data.
Today’s Quick Hits
FDA ‘food failure’: The FDA oversees 80 percent of the U.S. food supply, but food “is simply not a high priority” at the agency, where drugs and medical products dominate its budget and the attention of its leaders. (Politico)
Drip irrigation for arid ag: Compared to flooding fields, drip irrigation in arid regions can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from soil without reducing yields of forage crops, according to new research. (University of California)
Longer leases, more stewardship: Farmers are more likely to employ conservation practices such as cover crops or buffer strips on rented land if they have a long-term lease, meaning more than two years, say researchers; half of Midwest farmland is on short-term leases. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)
On The Calendar
Monday
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Forest Service chief Randy Moore launch the Biden administration’s Rural Infrastructure Tour to describe billions of dollars in funding for forest restoration, reduction of fuels for wildfires and post-fire recovery. Haaland and Moore were scheduled to visit a wildfire investment site near Boulder, Colorado.
North American Millers Association spring conference, through Tuesday, Isle of Palms, South Carolina.
USDA releases weekly Crop Progress report, 4 p.m. ET.
Tuesday
The Labor Department releases monthly Consumer Price Index report, 8:30 a.m. ET. The U.S. inflation rate was 7.9 percent, highest in 40 years, in the latest CPI report. Food inflation, also 7.9 percent in the 12 months ending in February, was the highest in 41 years.
Farm Foundation holds an online forum, “Solving the barriers to agricultural carbon markets,” 10 a.m. ET. Speakers include economist Alejandro Plastina of Iowa State University; Kristine Tidgren, director of the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation at ISU; and economist Shelby Myers of the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Farm Journal Foundation hosts a webinar on the causes and implications of global food waste, 2 p.m. ET. Keynote speaker is professor Patrick Webb of Tufts University. The event will be livestreamed at the foundation’s Facebook page…
Western Growers Association, the University of California and Fresno-Merced Future of Food Initiative host a news conference to launch FIRA USA 2022, an American version of World FIRA, “the leading event in ag robotics,” 11 a.m. ET, California State University, Fresno, California.
Thursday
USDA releases monthly Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook, 3 p.m. ET.
