UPI Farming Today

U.N. trying to coordinate Angola relief

The director of the United Nations' hunger relief program said Friday Angola needs immediate help from many entities to respond to mounting humanitarian needs caused by years of war.

World Food Program Director James T. Morris said Angola should use its position as head of the Southern African Development Community to support projects meant to help provide food to millions of people in the country.

The program, "can do a tremendous amount to help the Angolan population get back on their feet after decades of despair, and we must seize this opportunity," said Morris.

"What's needed is a constellation of committed partners, including our traditional donors, working together to tackle the immense tasks which lie ahead to assist millions of vulnerable people," he said.

Morris met recently with Angola President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and various government ministers, and with various corporate executives who do business in Angola to discuss possibilities for future cooperation in the food and recovery effort.

Officials say logistical problems, such as broken bridges, poorly maintained roads and the widespread presence of landmines, interfere with the delivery of food to tens to thousands of needy people.

The rainy season has compounded the neglect of the infrastructure, worsening access to areas where people are living or have recently resettled.

Also hurting the situation is a chronic lack of resources to meet the needs of the Angolan people.

The World Food Program said it has less than half the resources needed to keep its operations in place through year's end.

Without more donations in the near future, distributions of food could come to an end by the end of April.

Also complicating the situation is the spread of HIV and AIDS throughout the country. Morris said the combination of disease and hunger could create millions of orphans and destroy any agriculture rebound that would boost the long-term future of the country.

U.N. airlift to feed 115,000 in Congo

The United Nations' world food program is conducting an emergency airlift to get food to 115,000 people in an eastern Congo village.

The program and the German Agro Action will deliver 892 megatons of food, including maize, flour, beans and vegetable oil, to people who are displaced by years of war in the region.

Officials say the airlift will provide enough food to feed people displaced to the town of Bunia for one month.

"Most of these people are exhausted and extremely hungry by the time they arrive in Bunia," program official Felix Bamezon said. "It is a desperate situation that calls for desperate measures, like a food airlift."

Soy bio-diesel usable in winter

A new study funded by the United Soybean Board says diesel fuel made from a blend of soybeans is even more dependable than traditional blends of diesel fuel in severely cold weather.

The Center for Diesel Research at the University of Minnesota found new diesel additives have lowered the gel point of diesel fuel to 50 degrees below zero.

The soybean check-off recently began a new initiative to encourage more farmers and ranchers to use soy bio-diesel. Recent surveys found that only 23 percent of soybean farmers in the United States use soy bio-diesel.

Organic strawberries taste the same

A new Ohio State University study found that strawberries grown through natural methods taste no different than conventionally grown berries.

The survey found that many consumers could not tell the difference in the looks, taste and smell of organic and conventional strawberries. The only area where people could tell the difference was when factors such as the length of time a product sits on the market are taken into account.

"We found no consumer-detectable differences between organic and conventional," university entomologist Joe Kovach said. "When people say organic tastes better, it's because of things like distance to market or a different variety."

New lipstick formulas environmentally friendly

Lipstick may be red but the industry for a long time now has been looking for ways to produce one environmentalists would be willing to classify as "green."

Environmentally acceptable, that is.

The base for many cosmetics has been petrolatum made from hydrocarbons. Now, the United Soybean Board and soybean check-off have funded the development of an emollient, based on soybean oil, one which is expected to prove much more stable than the present products which still spread easily.

(by E.W. Kieckhefer)

Grains mixed on CBOT

Grain futures were mixed at the close Friday on the Chicago Board of Trade.

Confusion over weather conditions throughout South America and the effect they would have on soybeans hurt prices.

Corn rose on influence from overnight price gains, while wheat benefited from corn's influence.

Oats suffered from pressure from soybeans.

The prices:

Soybeans: Mar 5.64 off 4 1/2, May 5.61 off 3 1/2, Jul 5.58 off 3 1/2, Aug 5.51 3/4 off 2 1/4.

Corn: Mar 2.38 1/4 up 1 1/4, May 2.40 1/4 up 1/2, Jul 2.43 up 1, Sep 2.43 1/4 up 2.

Wheat: Mar 3.20 1/2 up 5 1/2, May 3.13 up 2, Jul 3.10 1/2 up 1, Sep 3.15 1/4 up 2.

Oats: Mar 2.00 1/4 off 1 3/4, May 1.95 off 1, Jul 1.85 1/4 off 1/4, Sep 1.66 1/4 off 3/4.