NumberOne
15 years ago
Acreage update!
Lots of corn plated this year. Less than 2007 but more than any other year since 1947 (excluding 2007).
7/1/2009 11:02:00 AM
USGC: U.S. Farmers Overcome Adversity, Surpass Expectations
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 1, 2009 – Farmers faced looming adversity during the spring planting season, causing lowered expectations, but ultimately overcame. USDA projects the second-largest corn planting acreage since 1946, after 2007.
Early stages of planting were similar to last year’s conditions. Though low temperatures and frequent precipitation slowed planting in early May, warmer dryer conditions eventually returned, allowing farmers to make accelerated progress in late May. U.S. corn producers planted an estimated 87 million acres, up 1 percent from 2008. U.S. soybean farmers reached a historic high, increasing planting nearly 2 percent from 2008, with 77.5 million acres planted. Together, U.S. corn and soybean producers worked steadfastly to plant a total 164.5 million acres, an increase of nearly 3 percent.
U.S. Grains Council President and CEO Ken Hobbie said U.S agricultural producers continually show their efficiency and ability to produce enough grains to meet market demands. He said America’s farmers demonstrate a loyal commitment to assuring an adequate supply of affordable quality feed despite hardships faced during difficult spring planting. With rapid response to the marketplace, producers continually provide unwavering dedication and allegiance to U.S. and global consumers.
"I cannot say I am surprised by the recent planning projections issued by USDA.
Time and time again, U.S. farmers are faced with adversity, but their commitment to providing an adequate supply of U.S. feed ingredients as well as their dedication to curbing global hunger perseveres," said Hobbie. "Thanks to U.S. farmers, we are able to reassure our global end-users on the reliability of U.S. agriculture and create dependability in the global marketplace for U.S. agricultural products. This is another factual demonstration of U.S. farmers meeting global demand."
Information from surveys are compiled in USDA’s Acreage Report, released on June 30, 2009. Surveys were conducted the first two weeks of June.
www.cattlenetwork.com
NumberOne
15 years ago
Industry news...
BEIJING, June 8 (Reuters) - China is offering a 5 percent tax rebate on exports of corn starch and ethanol in an effort to help corn processors and spur corn consumption amid huge stockpiles after a record harvest, the finance ministry said on Monday.
The refund on the 17 percent value-added tax, effective from June 1, is likely to help processors raise their production because it lowers the barrier to the export market. Previously, corn exports were not eligible for any rebate.
Many mills are running at about 60 percent of capacity due to weak demand from buyers such as the paper industry, which consumes starch.
"The policy will help starch makers to raise production capacity. Many small ones were already closed while big ones were running at 60 to 80 percent of their capacity," said Feng Lichen, manager with China Dalian Yigu Information Consulting Co. Ltd.
China's corn industries, which also make food products such as sweeteners and flavour enhancers like MSG, process about 50 million tonnes of corn a year, about 30 percent of the country's expected record harvest of more than 160 million tonnes.
China exports about 300,000 tonnes of corn starch a year, equivalent to half a million tonnes of corn. Ethanol exports totalled 108,125 tonnes last year, far below the level of previous years when oil prices drove up demand for biofuels.
Chinese starch makers were managing to make some exports this year but at below cost, said Feng, and the government's refund may offset the losses.
Beijing's stockpiling of corn, totalling about 35 million tonnes since late last year, has frequently pushed domestic prices above international prices and dried up supplies in the northeast of China.
Traders said Beijing was considering selling some of the state corn reserves to processors in the area and also offering subsidies to offset higher corn prices there.
The sale talk had pressured Dalian futures <0#DCC:> last week and prices were traded further down on Monday, with the most traded January 2010 contract at 1,655 yuan ($242.2) per tonne by 0300 GMT, a fall of 21 yuan from Friday.
($1=6.832 Yuan)
(Reporting by Niu Shuping and Tom Miles; Editing by Ken Wills)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/8546525
NumberOne
15 years ago
Sugary corn industry leader sets us straight about high fructose goodness
By Ernest Luning 6/26/09 11:05 AM
In swift response to half of a phrase buried in a sentence in the brief item that was part of this post, the president of the Corn Refiners Association begs to differ.
The other day, we noted Boulder Valley schools are considering adopting a new “wellness policy” that would discourage cupcakes on birthdays and replace chicken nuggets with roast chicken on lunch menus. We also quoted Beth Cooper, the nutrition services director for the school district, who told the school board, “We’re eliminating trans fats and high fructose corn syrup.”
Au contraire, writes Audrae Erickson, president of the nearly 100-year-old trade group representing agrigiants Archer Daniels Midland Co., Cargill Inc., Corn Products Intl., and National Starch, among others. Here’s the e-mail that arrived in our in-box this morning, minus only a phone number and the original article as presented by some clipping service:
Dear Mr. Luning:
We read the June 24 Early Bird Special brief on the proposed Boulder Valley School District wellness policy that would ban high fructose corn syrup with interest. There is a lot of confusion about high fructose corn syrup. We would like to provide you with science-based information on this safe sweetener and be a reference for you for future articles.
High fructose corn syrup is simply a kind of corn sugar. It has the same number of calories as sugar and is handled similarly by the body. There is no nutritional benefit gained by replacing high fructose corn syrup with another caloric sweetener.
Eliminating high fructose corn syrup from school nutrition programs would significantly increase school breakfast and lunch costs and seriously jeopardize and/or eliminate the supply of numerous offerings.
High fructose corn syrup helps maintain high quality, low cost, reliable food products used in breakfast and lunch offerings for America’s school children. It is a natural sweetener that keeps food fresh (canned fruits, ketchup, cheese spreads), enhances fruit and spice flavors (yogurts, flavored milks, jams, jellies, maple syrups, canned fruits, marinades, spaghetti sauce), improves flavor by reducing tartness (spaghetti sauce, ketchup, canned tomatoes), and keeps ingredients evenly dispersed (salad dressings, mayonnaise, mustard, other condiments).
The American Medical Association recently concluded that “high fructose syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners.” (American Medical Association. June 17, 2008. Press Release: AMA finds high fructose syrup unlikely to be more harmful to health than other caloric sweeteners
http://www.sweetsurprise.com/sites/default/files/AMARelease6-17-08.pdf)
The American Dietetic Association concluded that “No persuasive evidence supports the claim that high fructose corn syrup is a unique contributor to obesity.” (Hot Topics, “High Fructose Corn Syrup.” December 2008. http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/nutrition_19399_ENU_HTML.htm)
To read the latest research and learn more about high fructose corn syrup, please visit www.SweetSurprise.com. Please feel free to contact me if you would like additional information about the products made from corn.
Thank you for your consideration,
Audrae Erickson
President
Corn Refiners Association
Washington, DC
Erickson sent a whole other e-mail, filled with all sorts of different points and references, to the Boulder Daily Camera in response to a 2007 piece that claimed high fructose corn syrup metabolizes differently than other sugars and is a “unique contributor to obesity and diabetes.”
Lots of people are fat in “Australia, Mexico and Europe,” all places without America’s subsidized corn sweetener industry, Erickson pointed out. She also dismissed a recent Rutgers study the Camera cited that warned high fructose corn-sweetened beverages had “high levels of reactive compounds called carbonyls,” which are “not found in sugar [and] could trigger cell and tissue damage that could cause diabetes.” Those findings, Erickson wrote, “appear to diverge from a considerable body of published scientific research finding HFCS both safe and no different from other common sweeteners like sugar and honey.”
Erickson also went after Starbucks earlier this month when the coffee chain announced it was removing high fructose corn syrup from bakery items as part of a “Real Food. Simply Delicious” campaign.
“Consumers could be in for a jolt when they realize that there is no scientific basis to suggest that coffee cake made with sugar is ‘healthier’ than one made with high fructose corn syrup,” Erickson said in a statement. “There is no nutritional difference between high fructose corn syrup and sugar. It is the calories that count.”
Corn sweetener defenders might have to go into high gear as the acclaimed documentary “Food, Inc.”, basically an hour and a half indictment of industrial food production, goes into wide release this month.
So far, we haven’t heard a peep from the trans fat lobby.
http://coloradoindependent.com/32101/sugary-corn-industry-leader-sets-us-straight-about-high-fructose-goodness
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