Agribusiness Update for Thursday 6/06/13

This is the Agribusiness Update...I’m Greg Martin...

USDA and EPA are partnering on the U.S. Food Waste Challenge asking retailers, schools and more to reduce, recover, and recycle food waste. Food waste in the United States is estimated at roughly between 30 to 40 percent of the food supply with some 133 billion pounds of food in 2010 never making it into people’s stomachs.

The National Milk Producers Federation has joined 22 dairy organizations, along with more than 100 other farm and commodity groups around the country, in asking the Senate to cut off debate and pass the long-overdue bill. Jerry Kozak, President and CEO said “Farmers have now been waiting two years to know the details of the federal dairy safety net.”

The 2013 pear harvest is being projected at some 436-thousand tons of pears. The estimate is 4% larger than the five-year average, and 2% larger than last year’s crop, which would make the forthcoming crop the third largest on record. The top three varieties in terms of production remain the same as in previous years; Green Anjou pears are anticipated to make up 53%, Bartlett and Bosc pears are expected to yield 22% and 15% respectively.
 
That’s today’s Agribusiness Update from the Ag Information Network.