What was supposed to be confirmation of how Michigan’s oversight of large-scale farms is working instead turned out to be something very different. Water samples taken from lakes and streams near the 3,600-head Hartford/Red Arrow Dairy were positive for high counts of E. coli bacteria.

Now, environmentalists and others are calling for additional action.

Source: MLive/ Kalamazoo Gazette/ Rod Smith, March 14, 2006
Source URL: http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-16/1142353205105250.xml&coll=7

The USDA’s Office of Inspector General has evaluated the oversight of new releases of genetically modified plants. The Inspector General found that weaknesses in USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service regulations and control increase the risk that regulated GM organisms will inadvertently enter the environment before the agency considers them sufficiently harmless to merit unregulated status.

In its report late last year, the OIG offered ways to better three aspects of APHIS’ oversight: in the accountability for GM plants; in agency inspections and rules enforcement; and in guidance for containing GM plants and seeds.

Source: ISB News/ Phillip B.C. Jones, March 2006
Source URL: http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2006/news06.mar.htm#mar0604

The Board of Directors of Winnipeg Commodity Exchange Inc. ("WCE") has approved in principle three new futures and options contracts to be listed when changes occur to the marketing system for wheat and barley in Canada.

The new contracts for spring and durum wheat and the revised contract for barley are modeled on the WCE flagship canola contract, with all three contracts having corresponding options contracts.

Source: Winnipeg Commodity Exchange/ News Release, March 7, 2006
Source URL: http://www.wce.ca/NewsNotices.aspx?first=newsreleases&Id=134

Confirmation of a third case of mad cow disease in the United States should have minimal effect on cattle prices and beef exports, said Chris Hurt, a Purdue University agricultural economist.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's announcement Monday (3/13) that a 10-year-old cow in Alabama tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is not likely to dominate news coverage like earlier cases, Hurt said. Testing programs intended to identify cattle that could be carrying the disease have been effective, he said.

Source: Ag Answers/ Ohio State University and Purdue University/ Chris Hurt, March 14, 2006
Source URL: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/agcomm/aganswers/story.asp?storyID=4175

U.S. corn exports for 2005/06 were increased due to reduced competition from China, Brazil, South Africa, and the EU-25. The recent increase in outstanding export sales supports the larger corn export forecast. Oats imports were increased to reflect the pace to date. Corn prices received by farmers were increased to reflect the stronger prices reported to date.

Source: USDA/ ERS/ Allen Baker and Edward Allen, March 14, 2006
Source URL: http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/reports/erssor/field/fds-bb/2006/fds06c.pdf

Canadian grain supplies are at the highest level in over a decade as the result of bumper crops and large carryin stocks. Despite record feed use as well as higher exports, ending stocks are nevertheless expected to swell to the highest level in 12 years. Corn imports are falling as a consequence of near-record production and recently imposed duties on U.S. corn. Barley exports are expected to reach a 9-year peak, with strong shipments already to China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Oat exports are expected to continue strong to the United States, and are facing less competition from subsidized EU oats. Durum exports have strengthened as a result of robust global demand following poor crops in Europe and North Africa. For spring wheat, although production was large, quality was sub-par again, limiting the growth in exports. Furthermore, China--Canada’s largest market last year--has sharply reduced purchases. However, exports to the United States could expand in future months following the elimination of duties on spring wheat.

Source: USDA/ FAS, March 13, 2006
Source URL: http://www.fas.usda.gov/grain/circular/2006/03-06/graintoc.htm

The decline in soybean crush is in sharp contrast to the rise in rapeseed crush which is expected to grow to 14.3 million tons in 2005/06 and exceed the volume of soybean crush for the first time. Expanded crush capacity encouraged by the tremendous growth in bio-diesel demand and subsequent increase in EU rapeseed production is expected to divert some soybean processing capacity to rapeseed where crush margins are higher. The increase in rapeseed crush is expected to boost rapeseed meal supplies 35 percent in 2005/06 compared to 2003/04. This additional rapeseed meal, though not perfectly substitutable for soybean meal, will compete with soybean meal in the feed ingredient market and help soften demand for soybean meal.

Source: USDA/ FAS, March 13, 2006
Source URL: http://www.fas.usda.gov/oilseeds/circular/2006/06-03/FULL06MAR.pdf

The high producing dairy cow of the 21st century is subfertile during lactation. Our objectives are to characterize physiological periods limiting reproductive performance and to describe integrated management strategies to improve pregnancy rates.

Postovulatory increases in progesterone may enhance pregnancy rates in targeted populations of lactating dairy cows, but timing and magnitude of the progesterone increases are pharmaceutically dependent.

Source: Strategies for improving fertility in the modern dairy cow. Theriogenology 65 (1): 30-44, 2006. Thatcher, W.W.; Bilby, T.R.; Bartolome, J.A.; Silvestre, F.; et al.

Serum concentrations of very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), triglycerides, cholesterol, and total lipids of a group of monensin-treated cows (n = 7) were compared with those of a control group (n = 6) from about 10 days before calving to 45 days postpartum.

It is concluded that monensin is effective in increasing secretion of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins from the liver during the postpartum transition period of dairy cows. This may be effective in reducing the intensity of hepatic lipidosis and the incidence of periparturient diseases resulting from disturbances in energy metabolism.

Source: Effect of monensin on serum lipoproteins, triglycerides, cholesterol and total lipids of periparturient dairy cows. Veterinary Research Communications 30 (1): 17-Jul, 2006. MohebbiFani, M.; Nazifi, S.; Shekarforoush, S.S.; Rahimi, M.

The world may be getting smaller, but ethnic foods are as popular as ever. Recognizing this, Chr. Hansen now targets the market for Dahi - traditional ethnic Indian yoghurt. The company is launching DAC-03, a new dairy culture tailor made for making Dahi.

Today, organized dairies make only one to two percent of the Dahi consumed in India, but demand for industrially produced Dahi is currently growing at a pace of 20% per year. More Indian consumers are following global trends, and favor healthy products and greater food safety.

Source: Chr. Hansen/ News Release, March 10, 2006
Source URL: http://www.chr-hansen.com/servlet/ContentServer?
pagename=www.chr-hansen.com%2FNewsArticle%
2FNewsArticle&c=NewsArticle&cid=1139817595001