The Associated Press reported this week that, “Virginia-based Smithfield Foods announced Sunday that it is closing its pork processing plant in Sioux Falls until further notice after hundreds of employees tested positive for the coronavirus — a step the head of the company warned could hurt the nation’s meat supply.”
Keith Good
Keith Good is the Farm Policy News editor for the farmdoc project. He has previously worked for the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, and compiled the daily FarmPolicy.com News Summary from 2003-2015. He is a graduate of Purdue University (M.S.- Agricultural Economics), and Southern Illinois University School of Law.
COVID-19 Hits Some Domestic Ag Markets, Disrupts Global Supply, As Pres. Trump Highlights Aid to Farmers
Bloomberg’s Mike Dorning reported last week that, “President Donald Trump said he has asked his agriculture secretary to ‘use all of the funds and authorities at his disposal,’ to aid U.S. farmers, whose financial peril has worsened in the coronavirus pandemic.”
USDA-FAS Reports Provide Updates on Ag Trade, Production, and COVID-19 Impacts
On Thursday, the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) released three reports that provided updated information on agricultural trade, production and recent impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak. A focus on wheat and rice, protein markets, and soybeans are included in today’s update.
COVID-19 Hampers Some Markets, as Worker Safety and Well-Being Garner Increased Attention
DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton reported this week that, “As meatpacking plants and other food processors reduce capacity or temporarily close because of coronavirus cases, Vice President Mike Pence pointed to the vital nature of the food industry and told those workers ‘to show up and do your job’ to keep grocery shelves stocked.”
Appellate Court Denies Rehearing in RFS Case, While Decreased Fuel Consumption Results in Idling of Some Ethanol Plants
DTN writer Todd Neeley reported this week that, “Small refiners will not receive a rehearing before the entire U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver on a case alleging EPA improperly granted small-refinery exemptions to the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2017 and 2018, the court announced in an order on Tuesday.”
Prices for Some Food Staples Increase, as COVID-19 Impacts on Labor Remain a Concern
Bloomberg writers Agnieszka de Sousa, Ruth Olurounbi, and Jen Skerritt reported on Monday that, “As the coronavirus pandemic penetrates more deeply into global supply chains, prices for key staples are starting to soar in some parts of the world.”
Global Food Markets “Well Balanced” During COVID-19 Outbreak, But Trucking Issues a Concern
The April edition of the Market Monitor, a publication from the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS), stated that, “Despite much uncertainty caused by the rapid spread of COVID-19, global food markets remain well balanced: cereal stocks are expected to reach their third highest level on record this season and export availabilities for all AMIS crops are more than adequate to meet the anticipated demand.”
COVID-19 Impacting Food Purchasing Dynamics, as Ag Labor Concerns Persist
Wall Street Journal writer Kirk Maltais reported this week that, “Consumers’ rush to buy groceries is fueling a rally in orange-juice prices, making the usually sedate asset the best-performing commodity in the first quarter of 2020.”
During COVID-19 Outbreak, Some Countries Restrict Ag Exports– WTO / UN Stress Importance of Keeping Supply Chains Open
Wall Street Journal writers Kirk Maltais and Joe Wallace reported this week that, “Consumers are loading up on pasta, rice and bread. Farm supply lines are disrupted. Countries are restricting agricultural exports.”
COVID-19 and Oil Prices Taking Toll on Ethanol Plants
Bloomberg writers Isis Almeida, Fabiana Batista, and Michael Hirtzer reported on Friday that, “The coronavirus and cheap oil are hitting the fuel business so hard that ethanol plants are shutting down. Some may never come back.”
Federal Stimulus Includes Money for Agriculture, as Farm Suppliers Accelerate Planting Input Deliveries
Wall Street Journal writers Siobhan Hughes and Natalie Andrews reported on Friday that, “President Trump signed a roughly $2 trillion stimulus package into law, hours after House lawmakers hustled back to the Capitol to pass the aggressive response to the coronavirus pandemic that has staggered the U.S. economy.”
Despite Ample Global Supplies, Concerns About “Food Nationalism,” and Supply Chain Restrictions Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
Earlier this week, Bloomberg writers Isis Almeida and Agnieszka de Sousa reported that, “It’s not just grocery shoppers who are hoarding pantry staples. Some governments are moving to secure domestic food supplies during the conoravirus pandemic.”
Progress in U.S., China Phase One Trade, as COVID-19 Logistical Hurdles Impact Markets
Reuters writers Andrea Shalal and David Lawder reported this week that, “The United States and China have made progress in implementing the agriculture-related provisions of a Phase 1 trade deal that took effect on Feb. 14, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Trade Representative said on Tuesday.”
Time Has Run Out for EPA to Appeal 10th Circuit Biofuels Ruling
Reuters writer Richard Valdmanis reported on Wednesday that, “Time has run out for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to challenge a federal court ruling that would limit the agency’s use of waivers exempting small oil refineries from the country’s biofuels regulations.”
Farmers Could Encounter Planting Delays in 2020, But Less Severe Conditions Than Last Year Expected
Last week, New York Times writer John Schwartz reported that, “Brace for another flooded spring — but not one as bad as last year, forecasters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned on Thursday.”
COVID-19 Has “Dimmed” Economic Prospects for Corn Belt Farmers
Wall Street Journal writers Jacob Bunge, Kirk Maltais, and Jesse Newman reported on Saturday that, “The new coronavirus is dealing another blow to the struggling U.S. agricultural sector, driving down crop and livestock prices and threatening labor shortages for farms.”
COVID-19 Impacts: Plenty of Food “In the System,” But Guest Worker Concerns Persist
Ryan McCrimmon and Catherine Boudreau reported on Wednesday at Politico that, “Don’t be fooled by the barren grocery store shelves: There’s plenty more food on the way.”
Seasonal Labor, Transportation, Financing, and Food Inflation (China) Among Outbreak Issues in U.S. and Abroad
Reuters writer Chris Walljasper reported on Tuesday that, “U.S. fruit and vegetable producers are bracing for dramatic disruptions to their labor force after the U.S. government said it was suspending visa interviews in Mexico to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.”
During Outbreak, USDA Ensures Food Safety While Protecting Health of Inspectors
Reuters writer Tom Polansek reported this week that, “The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking to reassure meat producers it will keep slaughterhouses staffed with federal inspectors as fears about potential shutdowns due to the new coronavirus hammer livestock prices and fuel concerns about food supplies, meat industry groups said on Monday.”
Farm State Lawmakers Maintain that Court’s RFS Waiver Decision Should Stand
DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton reported last week that, “Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, stressed to reporters Tuesday morning [March 10th] that President Donald Trump would benefit in rural America if he simply let stand the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decision last month against EPA’s small refinery exemption program.”