Missed some news this week? Here’s seven ag stories you might have overlooked.
1. Flooding continues across the nation. A group of Pennsylvania farmers has collected 50 tons of hay - and counting – for flood victims around the Midwest. The Nebraska Strong Run donated 100% of its proceeds to flood relief. The event, which was organized in less than a week, raised $163,000. – American Agriculturalist, Runner’s World
2. Chinese state-owned firms bought about 1.5 million tons of U.S. soybeans on March 28. The purchase comes as U.S. and Chinese officials meet in Beijing for negotiations aimed at ending a protracted trade war between the two nations. – Reuters
3. Bayer AG lost a second trial over claims its Roundup weed killer causes cancer. A jury in San Francisco federal court awarded compensatory damages of $5.3 million and punitive dages of $75 million to a 70-year-old California man who became ill after spraying the herbicide on his property for decades. –Farm Futures
4. A case of virulent Newcastle disease has been reported in Northern California. The virus is untreatable and spreads quickly among various poultry species, including chickens, turkeys, pheasants, ducks, geese and pigeons. – SF Gate
5. University of Wisconsin-Madison dairy economist Bob Cropp sees good news for dairy prices as milk production continues to slow. February milk production was up to .2%, Cropp said. The bad news is fluid milk sales declined another 2% last year. On the plus side, dairy exports set a record in 2018, totaling 15.8% of production. – Wisconsin Agriculturalist
6. An analysis found Minnesota farm incomes set a new record in 2018– it was the lowest in the 23 years the state has been tracking farm income. The reported net income was just more than $26,000, down 8% from the previous year. – Marshall Independent
7. Scoular, a company that buys, sells, transports and stores grain, feed ingredients and food ingredients, is building a new freeze-drying manufacturing facility in Seward, Neb. About $50 million will be invested to build the plant, which is expected to create 100 jobs. – Nebraska Farmer
And your bonus.
Researchers in Switzerland have concluded that cheese exposed to hip-hop music had a “discernibly stronger smell and stronger, fruitier taste than the other test samples.” The experiment, Cheese in Surround Sound, started last fall with nine 22-pound wheels of Emmental cheese placed in nine separate wooden crates. The cheese was played various types of songs. - NPR