October, 2023

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Food warning labels in action: Mexico

Food Politics

I was in Mexico City last week giving the keynote at the FoodTech Summit & Expo. I could hardly wait to get to the nearby Chedraui supermarket to see what the Mexican warning labels on food packages looked like in practice. Mexico has high obesity prevalence, especially in children (~35%). Public health officials hope the warning labels will alert the public to avoid overconsuming processed foods.

Food 363
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Farmers Weekly Awards 2023: Farmer of the Year

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Husband and wife Craig and Claire Grant are the 2023 Farmers Weekly‘s Farmer of the Year – a credit to their innovative farming practices and remarkable work appetite. The couple are true pioneers within the farming industry.

Farming 362
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Farmers feeling the squeeze over Seaway strike

Real Agriculture

Unlike some other North American ports, the St. Lawrence Seaway shipping corridor is seasonal, and the labour dispute holding up product movement is putting serious stress on Ontario’s agriculture sector during the harvest period. An estimated $20 million per day of grain isn’t moving through the St. Lawrence Seaway after members of UNIFOR went on.

Grain 340
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An apple a day…

Agricultural Biodiversity

Good question. The answer? It’s all part of a very nice exhibit at the Museum Koenig in Bonn on biodiversity research. Great to see agricultural research get a look-in. But pity there was nothing on genebanks , and indeed no call to action. There’s a whole website in Germany about “ edible landscapes ” that offers ideas about what to do to help preserve fruit diversity.

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Powys council plans £5m secret sale of dairy farm

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly A dairy farming council tenant fears losing his farm amid reports Powys council is planning a £5m sale behind closed doors.

Farming 354
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Chicken supplier passing off housed birds as free range

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Meat industry insiders have been warned to look closely at the traceability of any free-range chicken in their supply chains, with one unnamed company believed to be passing off housed birds as free range.

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Jacob Rees-Mogg’s pro-Aussie beef comments spark reaction

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Farm leader Minette Batters has accused Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg of seeking to destroy British agriculture after he backed imports of hormone-fed Australian beef. Speaking during a Rally for Growth at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Sir Jacob said: “I want hormone-injected beef from Australia.

More Trending

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Video: Grower completes world’s first Capulet bean harvest

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Lincolnshire grower Andrew Ward has successfully harvested the world’s first field-scale trial of Capulet spring beans destined for the baked bean market. Thanks to the development of a UK-specific bean variety, this could mark the beginning of a new pulse market for UK farmers, with the aim to cut food imports and increase home-grown protein.

Harvester 344
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Somerset farmers hit back at Jacob Rees-Mogg ‘hormone’ comments

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly A group of 11 Somerset farmers, who operate in the same constituency as Jacob Rees-Mogg, has written to the former minister lambasting his understanding of agriculture and accusing him of undermining British farming values.

Farming 343
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The Sharp Edge: Building sprayer tender trailers, with Shawridge Farms

Real Agriculture

Covering 40,000 acres a year with a sprayer is a big job. At Shawridge Farms, a large cash crop and commercial grain elevator operation located in Arthur, Ont., that responsibility falls primarily to sprayer operator Matthew Musselman. So how does one guy get over all those acres? He gets a lot of help from the. Read More Covering 40,000 acres a year with a sprayer is a big job.

Cash Crop 336
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Court awards farm to son in inheritance promise dispute

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Michael Spencer won his claim against the estate of his late father, John Spencer, on the basis that he had been promised he would inherit the family’s Lincolnshire farm. The claim in Spencer v Spencer followed the father’s death in October 2018.

Farming 325
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How farmers face huge disruption from electricity infrastructure

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly The government is looking at ways to speed up the construction of a new electricity transmission network to meet demand in urban areas and its net-zero targets. Farmers Weekly asks how farmers will be affected.

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Annals of marketing: is “not healthy” the latest trend?

Food Politics

My distant but dearly loved cousin, Michael Kravit, has scored again: “Not Healthy.” According to the company’s website , these things are “Tasty purffs. Five flavors. No health claims…So unhealthy, I bought 15 bags for my family and friends…If you are worried about FFUPs being healthy, you’re on the wrong website. Go eat some carrots! [Not a bad idea, this last one].

Marketing 317
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Swaledale tup makes record £105,000

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Breed records were reset at Kirkby Stephen market today (19 October) when a Ghyll House Swaledale ram sold for a chart-topping £105,000. The 21-year record was broken by Ghyll House Notorious from W Richardson and Son, Dufton, Penrith.

Marketing 316
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Consultation underway on final hurdle to approving gene edited crops in Canada

Real Agriculture

It’s been a long process, but Canada is nearing a final decision on the use of gene editing in crop development. Krista Thomas, vice president of seed innovation and trade policy with the Canada Grains Council, explains the final assessment — that of feed for livestock — is nearing completion, as the consultation wraps up. Read More It’s been a long process, but Canada is nearing a final decision on the use of gene editing in crop development.

Crop 316
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RealAg Politics: Carbon tax exemptions, Red Seat High, and a plan for grain in Alberta

Real Agriculture

It’s time for another episode of RealAg Politics with your host, Shaun Haney! On this episode, hear from: Mike Flynn, new and first executive director of Alberta Grains, introduces himself and why he chose agriculture; Dave Carey, with the Canadian Canola Growers on the Senate holding up Bill C-234; and, Kelvin Heppner, with RealAgriculture, to.

Grain 312
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Beef Market Update: Cattle markets steady, but with a sustained wide basis on decent supplies

Real Agriculture

There’s always something to cover in the beef and cattle markets, but this week marks a decidedly non-volatile week in trading. Anne Wasko, with the Gateway Livestock Exchange, brings an update from the south to the north and from beef prices to live weights in this episode of the Beef Market Update. The theme of. Read More There’s always something to cover in the beef and cattle markets, but this week marks a decidedly non-volatile week in trading.

Marketing 312
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Farmers Weekly Awards 2023: Grassland Manager of the Year

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly John Ritchie of Montalt Farm, Perthshire, is the 2023 Farmers Weekly Grassland Manager of the Year. Improved grassland management has helped lift stocking rates at Montalt Farm by 40%, as well as deliver large reductions in feed and fertiliser.

Farming 312
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Derkatch named as Canterra president and CEO

Real Agriculture

Brent Derkatch has been named as the new president and CEO of Canterra Seeds. Derkatch steps into the role as long-time CEO David Hansen announced his retirement earlier this year. Derkatch has been with CANTERRA SEEDS since 2001, and has served as the director, Pedigreed Seed Business Unit for the past five years. Derkatch will. Read More Brent Derkatch has been named as the new president and CEO of Canterra Seeds.

Seeding 312
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RealAg Markets: Blips to the high side should be viewed as selling opportunities in downward trending markets

Real Agriculture

Short-term bounces in grain prices should be viewed as selling opportunities in an overall bearish market, according to the president of grain marketing advisory firm IntelliFarm. The lack of bullish news on both the supply and demand sides of the balance sheets for most major crops has resulted in prices sliding over the last few. Read More Short-term bounces in grain prices should be viewed as selling opportunities in an overall bearish market, according to the president of grain marketing adv

Marketing 310
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Farmers demand government action as crops submerge

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly With large swathes of farmland under water and with more heavy rainfall predicted in the coming days, the NFU has called on government to commit to a comprehensive water management strategy. After an unseasonably wet harvest this year, farmers in some parts of the country are seeing next year’s crops rotting under floodwater.

Crop 308
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Police urge farmer vigilance after cattle found slaughtered

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Livestock farmers must remain vigilant, police have warned, after cattle in Worcestershire were found slaughtered and beheaded in their fields. The incident is one of a number to occur in recent weeks, including cattle killed with their hooves bound and left behind in the field.

Cattle 307
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Midlands farmers prepare to row the Atlantic for charity

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly When it comes to having a mid-life crisis, most people opt to join a gym or buy a Harley Davidson. Not so for Midlands farmers Rod Adlington and Guy Minshull – they get drunk at a rugby international and decide to row across the Atlantic.

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A feast for the eyes: USDA’s Pomological Collection

Food Politics

I ran across a notice about this video: The USDA’s wondrous fruit watercolors. It’s only 5 minutes and a revelation. It’s just what we need this week—something lovely at a dark time. I had never heard of the USDA’s collection of 7500 hand -illustrated fruits and vegetables, most of them contributed by women. I’m happy to know about them. The illustrations are available online at the National Agricultural Library.

Food 306
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Corn School: Assessing tar spot impact for 2023

Real Agriculture

Tar spot leaf disease has been a little tardy in 2023, but the later-arriving yield robber is still having an impact on the Ontario corn crop. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plant pathologist Albert Tenuta says a dry start to the growing year meant tar spot arrived a little late in 2023. Read More Tar spot leaf disease has been a little tardy in 2023, but the later-arriving yield robber is still having an impact on the Ontario corn crop.

Ruralism 306
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Early sugar beet yields promising for Cambridgeshire grower

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Sugar beet growers have made an unusually early start to this year’s beet harvest as British Sugar offers a premium for early-lifted crops in an attempt to make up for last season’s 250,000t sugar shortage.

Yield 306
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G3 SmartSell is putting grain marketing power right in farmers’ hands

Real Agriculture

Thousands of Canadian farmers and G3 customers are already familiar with the state-of-the-art infrastructure at G3 facilities that creates more delivery opportunities and saves them time and money when hauling grain. The Winnipeg-based company is using technology to create new efficiencies for farmers. The SmartSell online customer portal puts more marketing power in their hands.

Grain 306
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Weekend reading: the cost of growing Romaine lettuce in California

Food Politics

Every now and then I run across a report about something I know absolutely nothing about but wish I did, and this is one of them—an analysis from the University of California on Sample Costs to Produce and Harvest Romaine Hearts Lettuce. I’m particularly interested in Romaine because it is one of those foods that t urns up frequently in food poisoning incidents.

Food 305
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Soybean School: Variety choice and population keys to lodging prevention

Real Agriculture

When soybean plants lodge, bad things happen. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soybean specialist Horst Bohner says growers are okay with the “power lean” — that’s when pod-laden plants tilt slightly under the weight of their bean bounty. “But when they start to get close to the ground, and really lean over, Read More When soybean plants lodge, bad things happen.

Lodging 304
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Nuffield scholar calls farming the least diverse sector in the UK

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Renewed calls for greater support for black and people of colour (BPOC) within UK agriculture have been heard this week, in a Nuffield Farming report by farm vet Dr Navaratnam Partheeban.

Farming 302
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Farmers plan blockades against supermarkets depots

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Farmers are planning a nationwide night of action against supermarket distribution centres in protest against low prices and to demand more support for British farming. Distribution centres at a number of UK retailers, including Morrisons, Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s will be targeted in a planned night of action from 7pm on Friday 13 October.

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Riverford ‘fair deal’ farming petition tops 60,000 signatures

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly A petition urging supermarkets and their suppliers to give fairer treatment to farmers has received more than 60,000 signatures, but the “big six” retailers remain silent on the issue. If the #GetFairAboutFarming petition receives 100,000 signatures, it will be debated in parliament.

Farming 301
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GB milk supply falls as low prices force farmers to cut back

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly Milk production on farms is showing signs of a significant slowdown at a time of year when it should be increasing, as low farmgate prices continue to squeeze margins. Dairy producers have been limiting output, with daily milk deliveries falling below last year’s levels during September and October. GB daily milk deliveries were down 2.

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5 ways to minimize DON’s impact on corn in the field, the bin, and pocketbooks

Real Agriculture

Corn harvest is finally underway in Ontario, and plenty of optimism abounds when it comes to the yield potential of this crop. There is a concern, however, that the challenges of a wet summer are showing up in deoxynivalenol (DON) levels in the grain. A mycotoxin produced by the gibberella fungus, DON levels over 2. Read More Corn harvest is finally underway in Ontario, and plenty of optimism abounds when it comes to the yield potential of this crop.

Grain 299
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Record £105,000 bid matched by second Swaledale ram

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly A record-equalling £105,000 bid for a Swaledale shearling ram has been reported at Kirkby Stephen for a Gillside sire, one day after the previous 21-year-old record was broken. The new joint record ram is Gillside Keeper from Messrs Lightfoot, Gillside Farm, Glenridding, Ulswater.

Farming 299
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Edible Bean School: Weed control wisdom with Peter Sikkema

Real Agriculture

Weeds can cause up to 58 per cent yield loss in edible beans compared to 50 per cent in corn and 35 in soybeans. That’s just one brick in a wall of weed control insights University of Guelph weed science researcher Dr. Peter Sikkema has accumulated over a 30-year career that includes induction into the. Read More Weeds can cause up to 58 per cent yield loss in edible beans compared to 50 per cent in corn and 35 in soybeans.

Science 299
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Farm machinery goes under the hammer in huge West Country sale

Farmers Weekly

Farmers Weekly After 99 years farming near Blandford, earlier this autumn the Harding family decided to wind up their mixed arable and livestock operation. Their entire fleet was put up for auction, along with an even greater number of introduced lots, making for one of the biggest sales of the year.

Farming 298