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]

Tyson Foods announced it has launched a venture capital fund focused on investing, among other things, “commercializing delicious, safe and affordable alternative proteins.”  Tyson will make available $150 million to the fund, which has been named Tyson New Ventures LLC. [node:read-more:link]

The way Americans view how food is created, prepared and consumed has the potential to affect the nation’s social, economic and political future, according to a new Pew Research Center report.With public tastes shifting and polarizing in the last 20 years, the research center noted that how consumers view organic and genetically modified (GM) foods are demonstrated in key behaviors and attitudes on food in general.The Pew survey found that 55 percent of Americans believe that organically grown product is healthier than conventionally grown produce, with 41 percent saying that there is no di [node:read-more:link]

Royal Dutch Shell has signed a provisional agreement to develop oil and gas fields in Iran, a move that could signal energy companies will not be deterred from doing business with the Islamic Republic despite uncertainty whether a Trump administration will scrap a nuclear deal agreed to by world powers. A spokesman for Shell said a memorandum of agreement was signed Wednesday with the National Iranian Oil Co. [node:read-more:link]

Missouri’s largest peach producer has filed a lawsuit against Monsanto Co., alleging that the biotech company bears responsibility for illegal herbicide use suspected of causing widespread crop damage in southeast Missouri and neighboring states. The suit seeks compensation for extensive damage to the farm’s peach trees suffered over the last two years — an interval which coincides with Monsanto’s release of crop varieties resistant to the herbicide dicamba. [node:read-more:link]

Ratifying the TPP would bring enormous economic and geostrategic benefits, not just to the U.S., but to all TPP partners. The agreement covers 12 countries, which together produce 40 percent of the world’s GDP. What makes TPP different from previous agreements is that it covers all products, even the most sensitive agricultural ones which have typically been excluded from previous agreements. Furthermore, TPP would also create rules for state-owned enterprises, digital trade, environmental protection, intellectual property, and much more. [node:read-more:link]

Giraffe's have been placed on the Red List of endangered species, after conservationists discovered there were fewer than 100,000 left in the wild.The animal was previously listed as ‘of least concern' but is now classed as ‘vulnerable to extinction’ after the global population plummeted by 40 per cent in the past 30 years.Giraffes are declining because of habitat loss, illegal hunting and civil unrest in the African countries where they live. Giraffe number shave dropped 30 % in last thrity years. [node:read-more:link]