Daniel Enoch

USDA cut its estimate for U.S. pork production for this year by 2.5 percent from its March forecast, citing piglet losses from the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus.

Unsold supplies of U.S. corn before the next harvest will total 1.331 billion bushels, down 125 million bushels, or 8.6 percent, from the month-ago estimate, because of rising exports, USDA said today in a monthly report.

The National Cattlemen?s Beef Association criticized the bilateral trade agreement reached between Japan and Australia, saying the deal undermines the goals of the Trans-Pacific Partnership which the U.S. is negotiating with the two countries and other nations.

U.S. farm equipment makers are reminding lawmakers of how important their industry is to the country’s economy, and asking them to keep some figures in mind when they consider legislation and trade pacts that affect agriculture.

The EPA’S Inspector General is criticizing the agency for failing to “consistently represent” risks to human volunteers in consent forms for air pollution experiments, including information on long-term cancer risks in some instances.

With soybean prices nearly three times those of corn, U.S. farmers are indicating they will plant record acreage with the oilseed, while cutting the area sown with corn.

The U.S. hog and pig inventory totaled 62.9 million as of March 1 down 3 percent from a year earlier and down 5 percent from three months earlier, USDA said today in a quarterly report. The figure is the smallest since early 2007.

CropLife America (CLA) said it is concerned about the impact the EPA’s proposed new rule under the Clean Water Act (CWA) would have on crop-production products and agriculture.

The Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) may reduce the availability of hogs for slaughter in the U.S. by about 11 percent this year, creating a major marketing opportunity for the poultry industry, according to a report by Rabobank’s Food and Agribusiness Research and Advisory team.

The Obama administration’s proposal to reduce biofuel use required by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2014 would increase emissions of greenhouse gases next year, according to a report from the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).