INDUSTRY DIRECTORY
May 31, 2017
News

Farm groups react to USDA cuts

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall says the 2018 budget fails to recognize agriculture’s current financial challenges.
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May 31, 2017
News

Proposed Trump budget puts crop insurance in jeopardy

Farm income has declined 56 percent since 2013.
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May 30, 2017
News

Culver’s “Scoops of Thanks Day” raises $50,700 for ag education

To date, the Thank You Farmers initiative has raised over 1 million dollars in support of the National FFA Organization and Foundation, local FFA chapters and a variety of local agricultural organizations.
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May 30, 2017
News

Mexico’s bad acts extend beyond sugar

America’s sugar producers are trying to make NAFTA work by asking for the same treatment afforded to all U.S. industries: Enforcement of U.S. laws to stop the injury being caused by predatory trade practices.
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May 30, 2017
News

U.S. has upper hand in sugar talks with Mexico

When the U.S. is flooded with refined sugar, it pushes down prices and hurts domestic refineries that depend on a constant supply of raw sugar.
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May 29, 2017
News

What does Brexit mean for Britain’s beet sugar industry?

Current EU policy impacts on the sugar industry in several ways.
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May 28, 2017
News

Western Sugar fined by U.S Department of Labor

These citations go back to an incident on Jan. 6 where a contract worker suffered hot liquid burns when he was cleaning an evaporator unit at the Scottsbluff Western Sugar factory.
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May 27, 2017
News

No surprise: Odor biggest complaint about sugar factory

That odor was mainly due to not as much sugar getting pulled out of the beets and it going into the water pulled off of them during processing.
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May 26, 2017
News

Climate change puts global seed vault at risk

Seed savers around the world help hedge against any risk of catastrophic loss.
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May 26, 2017
News

2 die in separate tractor accidents in Michigan

In both instances the tractors they were riding on rolled and pinned the victims.
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May 26, 2017
News

Idaho, Oregon researchers work on stevia seed line

The company’s stevia research is centered in Nampa. Parris is trying to develop a reliable seed line that farmers can plant.
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May 26, 2017
News

Stabenow criticizes budget cuts, loss of rural development post

Sen. Stabenow said farmers and rural communities have already done their part to reduce the federal deficit.
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May 26, 2017
News

U.S. growers face loan defaults over Mexican sugar dispute

The U.S. International Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Commerce ruled in response to a complaint by U.S. sugar growers that the combination of subsidization and dumping by Mexico warranted sugar duties of 48 to 84 percent.
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May 25, 2017
News

OMB director quizzed on USDA cuts

During a House Budget Committee meeting, Washington State Congresswoman Suzan DelBene criticized the proposed elimination of almost a thousand Farm Service Agency employees and more than 900 USDA Rural Development employees.
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May 25, 2017
News

Ag economists weigh in on farm bill, Trump budget

Federal Reserve Economist Dr. Nathan Kauffman also says lawmakers will want to watch certain trends, like deterioration in financial liquidity.
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May 25, 2017
News

Promoting agriculture and rural prosperity? Really?

The National Association of Conservation Districts decried the “reckless cuts to every part of USDA and many other federal programs that support voluntary conservation.”
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May 25, 2017
News

UK to build sugarbeet factory

Construction of the proposed development would be undertaken over a period of about two years, and would be commissioned in 2020.
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May 24, 2017
News

Idaho Supreme Court to decide Treasure Valley flood control issue

Treasure Valley irrigators say water released for flood control purposes should not be counted against their reservoir storage rights.
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May 24, 2017
News
American Farm Bureau Federation

Agriculture can’t balance the budget alone

The American Farm Bureau Federation will work with the appropriate committees in Congress to ensure that we maintain programs that help farmers manage risks and help rural communities survive.
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May 24, 2017
News

Mexico’s subsidized dump continues

Mexico’s trade abuses are wreaking havoc on the U.S. market, costing U.S. producers $4 billion and many sugar workers their jobs.
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May 24, 2017
News

Sugary drinks could go down the drain at CU Boulder dining halls

Boulder's new soda tax, a 2-cents-per-ounce levy on distributors of drinks with at least five grams of added sugar per 12 ounces, has been causing consternation around Boulder with businesses begging for exemptions.
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May 23, 2017
News

War on sugar turns years of growth into market tipping point

Food giants are only just beginning to respond to noisy calls from customers, lobby groups and lawmakers to cut empty carbs from products.
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May 23, 2017
News

Amalgamated Sugar wraps up record-breaking season

Amalgamated Sugar processed 7.2 million tons of sugarbeets and expects to produce 2.34 billion pounds of sugar, according to the company.
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May 23, 2017
News

New ads target Mexico’s unfair trade acts

Mexican sugar dumping was used as a visual in several digital ads that ran in Politico, Daily Caller, The Wall Street Journal‘s Capital Journal newsletter, and elsewhere.
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May 23, 2017
News

Trump proposes farm cuts

Combined, the White House is detailing more than $38 billion in cuts to farm programs, crop insurance and conservation over 10 years.
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May 23, 2017
News

Court upholds payments to Native American farmers

The latest ruling provides payments of $21,275 apiece for the farmers.
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May 22, 2017
News

Chemical companies Huntsman, Clariant announce $20B merger

The merger of equals comes as chemical companies consolidate to eliminate overlapping operations and products. Synergies from the merger could reach $400 million annually.
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May 22, 2017
News

American Crystal Sugar stock prices fell 6 percent

Despite the poor farm economy due to low commodity prices, only one producer indicated to FNC that he was selling shares to continue operating.
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May 22, 2017
News

China slaps 3-year duties on sugar imports

Traders said the higher tariffs will also likely spur increased smuggling across China’s porous southern border, while some imports from major producers may be shipped through third-party nations excluded from the tariffs.
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May 22, 2017
News

China sugar industry seeks sweet success on import curbs

A steep hike in duties by the world's biggest sugar importer would be a serious blow for top producers Thailand and Brazil, amid concerns about waning global demand for the sweetener.
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May 22, 2017
News

Chocolate and candy companies announce plans to help consumers manage sugar intake

The companies involved in the initiative include Mars Chocolate, Wrigley, Nestlé USA, Ferrero, Lindt, Ghirardelli, Russell Stover and Ferrara Candy Company.
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May 22, 2017
News

Optimism exists for settling sugar dispute

If an agreement is not reached, there is a danger that the U.S. could impose a tariff of up to 80%.
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May 22, 2017
News

Mexico sugar firm calls on president to protect industry from U.S. deals

In a letter to President Enrique Pena Nieto, liquid sugar firm Sucroliq argued that 2014 “suspension agreements," have hit local cane producers who have no voice in ongoing talks to modify the accords.
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May 22, 2017
News

Heitkamp urges U.S. trade rep to stand up for N.D. farmers, ranchers in NAFTA renegotiation

Sen. Heitkamp pressed Lighthizer to use NAFTA renegotiations to address concerns that North Dakota producers have about Canadian grain standards, Mexican sugar dumping, and country of origin labeling for meat.
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May 22, 2017
News

Texas sugarcane farmers: "This is not a trade negotiation"

Sean Brashear joined board Chairman Leonard Simmons, who is also a sugar farmer, to remind lawmakers that ongoing meetings between the Trump administration and Mexico are not discussions of innocence or guilt in sugar trade.
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May 21, 2017
News

China wants U.S. ag goods online

Alibaba officials say by next year, China’s online spending is expected be greater than the rest of the world combined.
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May 20, 2017
News

TPP trade deal members seek to move ahead without U.S.

Japan is leading the countries that still want to persist with the much more comprehensive TPP agreement, abandoned by Trump in one of his first acts in office and which does not include China.
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May 20, 2017
News

NFU creates farm crisis center

The farm crisis center has information on where farmers can receive financial help, mediation and mental health support.
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May 19, 2017
News

American Crystal Sugar employees accept labor proposal to avoid lockout

The contract covers approximately 1,300 employees at American Crystal Sugar’s five Red River Valley beet sugar factories and at distribution centers in Chaska, Minn., and Mason City, Iowa.
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May 19, 2017
News

USDA expands pilot Margin Protection crop insurance program

The last day to purchase a margin protection policy for corn, soybeans, and spring wheat is Sept. 30.
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May 18, 2017
News

More than 230 students get FFA jackets from Culver’s

Culver’s blue jacket donation is part of their Thank You Farmers program, which raises awareness about the importance of the agricultural industry and supports future ag leaders.
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May 18, 2017
News

Trump administration to renegotiate NAFTA

Mexico's government welcomed the upcoming renegotiation of the NAFTA.
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May 18, 2017
News

USDA certifies another Rural Business Investment fund

The fund will support 30 to 45 companies that have the potential to generate more than $200 million in economic activity and create 600 jobs.
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May 18, 2017
News

New emulsifier from sugarbeets

Jochen Weiss, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany, and colleagues have evaluated the properties of sugarbeet extract, which also contains saponins, as a natural emulsifier for food applications and compared them to Quillaja extract.
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May 17, 2017
News

Perdue, Northey comment on possible USDA position

According to several media reports, Iowa ag secretary Bill Northey is Perdue’s choice for the Under Secretary position.
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May 17, 2017
News

Perdue talks trade at House hearing

Chairman Mike Conaway says he wants to know how the USDA’s new undersecretary for trade would fit in with the other governmental trade entities.
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May 17, 2017
News

HELM Agro US hires West Coast regional sales manager

Charlene Bedal is responsible for promoting sales of the HELM Agro US crop protection portfolio and supporting the company’s distributor and retailer network in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
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May 17, 2017
News

Farm groups oppose USDA restructuring

Last week Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue announced USDA’s Under Secretary for Rural Development would be replaced with a special assistant who reports directly to Perdue.
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May 17, 2017
News

Top 5 life science news stories of May 2017

A new human trial began April 28, the Wall Street Journal reported, when an advanced cancer patient was injected with cells that had been genetically modified using Crispr-Cas9 technology.
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May 17, 2017
News

Culver's donates $250,000 to Wisconsin Agricultural Education Center

Culver's and the WAEC will collaborate to develop an education exhibit featuring the people of agriculture.
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May 16, 2017
News

Syngenta taps new leaders for North American seeds business

Syngenta is making big changes in its North American Seeds leadership team with the selection of David Hollinrake as President, Syngenta Seeds, LLC and North America Region Director.
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May 16, 2017
News

Facility upgrades mean improvements for Western Sugar and community

With the wrap up of the facility's beet processing campaign in late March and after many months of dedicated work from a lot of Western Sugar employees and contractors, the Fort Morgan facility has completed the largest portion of the High Plains Project.
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May 16, 2017
News

EPA's Pruitt working to streamline regs

However, President Trump’s proposed budget includes a 31 percent cut to EPA funding and would eliminate 3,200 jobs.
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May 15, 2017
News

End of spring's rainy start allows for proper beet planting conditions

Michigan Sugar has seen record yields in the past two years, with 2015 being the highest ever at 31.6 tons per acre; in 2016 it was 30.1.
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May 15, 2017
News

Food industry study slams recommended sugar intake limits

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that people consume no more than 10% of their daily calories from sugar.
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May 15, 2017
News

Patients: Roundup gave us cancer as EPA official helped the company

Christine Sheppard is one of more than 800 cancer patients suing Monsanto, the maker of Roundup, claiming the company failed to warn consumers about the risk of cancer associated with Roundup products.
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May 15, 2017
News

Risk management tops priority lists

Regardless of the crops they grow, the Michigan farmers who testified at a farm bill hearing in Frankenmuth, Mich., on May 6 said a strong safety net program was at the top of their priority list.
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May 14, 2017
News

FMC appoints Mike Harper industry relations manager

Mike Harper will lead the company’s industry association relationships, facilitate industry stewardship and advance FMC industry goals.
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May 13, 2017
News

Tiger-Sul wins at best of NAMA 2017 national awards

The Tiger-Sul entries were among the nearly 500 that advanced to the national awards competition.
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May 12, 2017
News

Warm temps lead to flurry of field activity

Sugarbeets were eight days ahead of schedule with 78 percent completed.
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May 12, 2017
News

NAFTA may collapse if sugar agreement fails Monday

If a final attempt at negotiations fails and the U.S. goes ahead with draconian limits on Mexican sugar, Mexico has promised to retaliate.
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May 12, 2017
News

Obama on GMOs — ‘Humanity has always engaged in genetic modifications’

“The approach that I took when I was President of the United States is in the same way that I would let the science determine my policies around climate change. I try to let the science determine my attitudes about food production and new technologies.”
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May 12, 2017
News

FMC Agricultural Solutions adds 3 to marketing team

These new team members will support the FMC agricultural crop protection portfolio in the U.S. and Canada.
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May 12, 2017
News

USDA makes $8.85M available in risk management education funding

Applications for the Crop Insurance in Targeted States Program and Risk Management Education Partnerships Program are due by 5 p.m. ET on July 10, 2017.
— Read More
May 11, 2017
News

Perdue announces creation of undersecretary for trade

Perdue made the announcement standing by barges filled with agricultural products along the banks of the Ohio River.
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May 11, 2017
News

Bayer plans to sell its Liberty brands

The divestiture request came from South Africa’s Competition Commission.
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May 11, 2017
News

New legislation provides farmworkers path to legal status

The Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2017 would provide farmworkers who worked in agriculture at least 100 days over last two years a blue card and protect them from deportation.
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May 11, 2017
News

World Obesity Federation confirms “obesity is a chronic disease”

The question of whether obesity should be called a "disease" has sparked controversy for most of the last century.
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May 11, 2017
News

New sugar factory starts operating in October in Mozambique

The district administrator said that the launch of this plant, the third after the Companhia de Sena in Marromeu, and the Mafambisse sugar mill in Dondo, is expected to have a direct impact on the lives of the district’s 93,000 inhabitants.
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May 10, 2017
News

Mexico sugar industry warns U.S. tough line sets bad NAFTA precedent

The new proposal for modifying the 2014 agreement would essentially push Mexican exporters out of the U.S. market, said Juan Cortina, who sits on the Mexican negotiating team.
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May 10, 2017
News

How a billion dollars is being wasted in the war on sugar

Several prominent public health organizations have pledged to spend an estimated $825 million over the next 10 years to promote sugar taxes, ban junk food advertising, change package labels, and do research related to healthier eating and food industry pr
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May 10, 2017
News

SipcamRotam launches ReTurn

ReTurn is labeled by the EPA as an insecticide/nematicide for systemic control of numerous above-ground and below-ground pests.
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May 10, 2017
News

Sugar-sweetened beverages becoming more affordable around the world

The study appears in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, and concludes that without policy action to raise prices, global efforts to address the obesity epidemic will be hampered.
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May 09, 2017
News

Here's how much sugar is crammed into the bestselling drinks in America

Canned and bottled beverages are a major contributor to US sugar intake, but colas and other sodas aren't the only drinks to blame.
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May 08, 2017
News

Global sugar market to reach 195 million tons by 2022

Factors such as rising population, increasing disposable incomes, flourishing food and beverage sectors and growing consumption of sugar in emerging regions have also contributed to the growth of the global sugar market.
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May 07, 2017
News

EU taking steps to equalize beet, cane sugar production

The change in rules could mean that the EU becomes a net exporter of sugar for the first time in more than 10 years.
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May 06, 2017
News

PepsiCo to roll out zero-sugar Pepsi Black

Pepsi Black will come packaged only in cans as of now.
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May 05, 2017
News

Ag trade surplus in danger

The president of the National Farmers Union says as Trump focuses on trade, he needs to address the trade deficit.
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May 05, 2017
News

"Genetic brake" could help combat sugar cravings

Normally, taste receptors in the mouth pick up the sweetness and tell us to keep eating, but researchers have now found one receptor that does the opposite – for fruit flies, anyway.
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May 04, 2017
News

Mexico group wants ban on U.S. corn syrup if sugar is taxed

Mexico is the largest source of imported sugar for the U.S., with a forecast of 1.16 million tons for 2016-17 season ending Sept. 30, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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May 04, 2017
News

Monsanto terminates Precision Planting deal with Deere

The Justice Department had filed suit last August to block the acquisition.
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May 04, 2017
News

Senate Ag Committee to hear from Gerstenberger

Rick Gerstenberger, board chairman of Michigan Sugar Company, will be among the witnesses.
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May 04, 2017
News

Perdue: U.S. and Mexico need to reach deal on sugar

Perdue said May 2 there could be consequences to producers in both countries if the U.S. were to procure raw sugar from the world market.
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May 04, 2017
News

Ag leader supports renegotiating NAFTA

Sonny Perdue was only in his second day in office at USDA when he found himself urgently arguing agriculture's case to the president.
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May 04, 2017
News

ISU and BSU to partner on potato storage project

The network would monitor and control the environment for stored potatoes.
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May 04, 2017
News

Sugar-lovers may have a ‘sweet-tooth’ gene

Previous studies in mice and non-human primates have suggested that a liver hormone encoded by the gene FGF21 drives feeding behaviour.
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May 03, 2017
News

Pressure on Mexico to reach new sugar deal

Industry sources said the talks broke down over the question of how much raw vs. refined sugar would be allowed into the U.S. and the standard at which raw sugar could still be classified as such.
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May 03, 2017
News

U.S. agriculture uncertain about future of NAFTA

Although not all agricultural products are being negatively affected by NAFTA, the ones that are take a big hit.
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May 02, 2017
News

Getting to the root of the matter

The mycorrhizal fungi in the rhizosphere (the area next to the root) play a big role in getting nutrients to the plant.
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May 02, 2017
News

Ag Secretary Perdue moves to make school meals great again

Schools have been facing increasing fiscal burdens as they attempt to adhere to existing, stringent nutrition requirements.
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May 02, 2017
News

ARS geneticist receives National Academy of Sciences Prize

Edward Buckler will be recognized for pioneering the use of large-scale genomic approaches linking genes with the crop’s physical traits.
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May 01, 2017
News

ELFA highlights reasons most firms choose financing

In an environment of heightened post-election optimism and increased capital expenditure plans among small businesses, firms will want to consider these compelling reasons as they make their equipment acquisition decisions.
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May 01, 2017
News

USDA announces Commodity Credit Corporation lending rates for May

The interest rate for 15-year Sugar Storage Facility Loans for May is 2.500 percent, down from 2.625 percent in April.
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May 01, 2017
News

Estimate cellulose content with a field spectroradiometer

Determination of cellulose content is traditionally done with time-consuming and costly wet chemistry.
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