Food prices are expected to increase above the acceptable inflation rate, Dalhousie Univ. said in its 7th edition of Canada’s Food Price Report. The report forecasts food prices to rise between 3 percent and 5 percent. This translates to a potential increase of C$420 in Canadian family food expenses in 2017.“The biggest factor will be the falling Canadian dollar,” explained Sylvain Charlebois, Ph.D., lead author of the report and Dean of the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie Univ. [node:read-more:link]

Matthew Kenney is a pioneer of high-end plant-based cuisine. He won America’s Best New Chef Award from Food & Wine magazineand was twice nominated Rising Star Chef by the French Culinary Institute. He guides a fast-growing lifestyle brand that trains chefs to cook sustainably. And, he may be about to be very, very rich. Recently, he announced the exciting expansion of his culinary education programs to the international market, launching a series of pop-ups across Europe and Australia in 2017. Starting in New York City, it will move on to Sydney, Paris, Barcelona, and London. [node:read-more:link]

At Electrek, we firmly believe that all forms of ground transport will start to transition to electric propulsion relatively soon. That includes large tractors for agriculture, as demonstrated by John Deere’s latest all-electric tractor concept. Where you would normally find a large diesel engine under the hood, there are stacks of battery packs adding up to 130 kWh of capacity. [node:read-more:link]

The US Department of Agriculture has proposed revisions to the regulations on nutritional labels for meat and poultry that would bring the sector in line with changes already pushed through by the country's Food and Drug Administration.   Earlier this year, the FDA updated its nutrition regulations to reflect current scientific thinking on dietary recommendations. [node:read-more:link]

A 14 percent decline in U.S. consumer meat consumption over the past decade has caused alarm with one Texas A&M AgriLife scientist who warns the effects could be dire for overall human health and child development. Dr. Guoyao Wu, distinguished professor in the department of animal science at Texas A&M University, said U.S. consumers have been overwhelmed with misinformation about protein and fats in meats, which in turn has led to many consuming less meat or no meat at all.“Obesity rates have gone up the last 20 years, while consumption of meat has declined,” Wu said. [node:read-more:link]

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is President-elect Donald Trump's selection to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Farmers and ranchers who have been concerned for years about what they perceive as an ever-increasing weight of regulations including the waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule may be pleased with Trump's selection. On the other hand, Pruitt has been an outspoken critic of the Renewable Fuel Standard. Pruitt led a number of states in filing one of many lawsuits against EPA challenging the WOTUS rule as an unconstitutional power grab. [node:read-more:link]

Focusing on lean hog futures prices, the low this fall was on the October 2016 contract at $40.70. The previous time lean hog futures had been this low was in October of 2002. This means lean hog futures in the fall of 2016 were the lowest lead contract price in 14 years. Lean hog futures have recovered somewhat since October, with the lead contract currently trading around $50, a level that is at the lower end of the ten-year range. Cash prices also reflect these multi-year lows. [node:read-more:link]

Genetically engineered (GE) varieties of corn, soybeans, and cotton with herbicide-tolerant and/or insect-resistant traits were commercially introduced in the United States in 1996. Twenty years later, most corn, cotton, and soybean farmers use these varieties, and the impacts of adoption have been widely documented. By contrast, relatively little is known about the adoption of GE alfalfa, canola, and sugarbeets, crops that add substantial value to the U.S. agricultural sector. For instance, alfalfa is the fourth largest crop in the United States in terms of acreage and production value. [node:read-more:link]

Net cash farm income is forecast at $90.1 billion and net farm income at $66.9 billion for 2016. Both measures are forecast to decline for the third consecutive year after reaching record highs in 2013 for net farm income and 2012 for net cash income. Net cash farm income is expected to fall by 14.6 percent in 2016, while net farm income is forecast to decline by 17.2 percent. These declines follow the 19.8- and 12.7-percent reductions in net cash income and net farm income, respectively, that occurred in 2015. [node:read-more:link]

Farmers and landowners who called on the state legislature to improve the formula for calculating the Current Agricultural Use Value for property taxes are on track for a setback. Miller said House and caucus members discussed the bill various times, but members still need more time to review the complexities of the bill and how it would affect funding for all parties.Rep. Brian Hill, R-Zanesville, and the sponsor of the House bill, said it looks like the House will try to finish up its other bills, and revisit the CAUV issue in January. [node:read-more:link]