1. Floods devastated rural Kentucky residents
Severe flooding raged through rural areas of Eastern Kentucky and resulted in the death of more than 30 residents. It began on July 24th and lasted for about a week. Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture, Dr. Ryan Quarles called it a different kind of disaster compared to the tornadoes that swept through the state last year. He says the impact on human life has been catastrophic.
If that was not enough, farmers and rural residents had to deal with extreme heat. Officials warned of the risk of heat-related illnesses. The state’s governor advocated for cooling stations saying, “We didn’t make it through the worst flooding that we have ever seen to lose somebody now to the heat.”
Country music was on a mission to help flood victims in Kentucky. Kentucky natives Tyler Childers and Chris Stapleton answered to the call. One flood victim posted on Facebook saying Stapleton went unnoticed for some time and he appreciated him blending in and helping.
2. Global food prices dropped, but are still high
Global food prices continued to drop but still remain significantly higher than a year ago.
The latest FAO Food Price Index showed a steep drop in July of nearly 9 percent, but they are still 13 percent higher on the year. The July decline was the most drastic since 2008.
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3. Grain ships headed out of Ukrainian ports
After months of tension in the port of Odesa, the first ship carrying grain left Ukraine. The Sierra-Leone flagged carrier left the port carrying 26,000 metric tons of grain. Nearly 18 million tons of grain have been sitting in storage since Russia’s invasion. It anchored off the coast of Turkey while officials inspected it for the first time. From there, it will make its way to Tripoli.
Three more ships carrying thousands of tons of corn left Ukrainian ports and are bound for Ireland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
4. Not all cattle groups supported legislation to help small cattle producers
House Ag Committee Chair David Scott introduced a bill to help small cattle operations by increasing the subsidy for ranchers with 100 head or less. It would create a new program to pay producers when their share of the retail dollar dips below 51.7%.
A second bill, by Senator Chuck Grassley, would require 50 percent of packer volume be purchased on the open market.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says they appreciate attention to the issue, but are not sold on either bill. NCBA’s Tanner Beymer says, “There are a couple of blind spots, but it is a far more preferable product and is a much better starting position than is the Grassley-Fisher Bill.”
Senator Grassley says he is not worried about Chairman Scott’s competing bill.
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5. Nutrien sounded the alarm about global potash supply
The Canadian fertilizer giant said due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, shipments from Russia are down roughly 25 percent. They are still down nearly 50 percent from Belarus.
It expects restrictions to continue for the rest of the year and through 2023.
Click HERE to read the full story.
