UPI Farming Today

Canada mad cow may have hit U.S. dog food

Seventeen herds of cattle in Canada have been quarantined out of fear they are tainted with mad cow disease, while the one Canadian cow where the disease has been confirmed may have wound up being processed into dog food shipped to the United States for sale.

The Food and Drug Administration this week notified Pet Pantry International, based in Nevada, that the cow contaminated with the disease was slaughtered, with part of its material processed into dog food that was sent to the United States.

FDA officials are monitoring dog food shipments in hopes of finding the possibly tainted pet feed, which records indicate would have been sent to Pet Pantry.

Officials are not sure if any dogs that eat such food would be in danger of contracting a form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy -- the formal name for the livestock disease. They call their monitoring activity a "prudent measure."

Pet Pantry products are distributed to franchises across the United States in 50-pound bags where they are then sold only by home delivery.

Concern about mad cow disease cropped up last week after Canadian officials confirmed they found it in one cow in rural Alberta.

Officials have since slaughtered nearly 200 cows that were part of the same herd, and inspected the meat from each of those animals. None have turned out to have been tainted with the disease.

But Canadian officials have quarantined cows in 17 herds in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

The New York Times reported Tuesday Canadian officials were trying to determine the whereabouts of the cows in their roughly six years of life, along with the feed they ate, in hopes of learning more about the one cow that turned out to be contaminated with the disease.

Officials in the United States, Mexico and Japan, among others, have cut off imports of meat from Canada in response to the disease.

Mad cow disease in recent years has spread throughout Europe, and devastated livestock herds in Great Britain in 2001. It also has turned up in Japan and Israel.

The disease has never turned up in the United States. Only one such instance has ever occurred in Canada before, involving a cow shipped from Britain with the disease in 1993.

Canadians don't want genetic type of wheat

The Canadian Wheat Board wants Monsanto Co. officials in Canada to withdraw applications for an environmental safety check of a genetically modified type of wheat.

Wheat board officials said the new type of wheat would have a "devastating economic impact" on farmers throughout western Canada and could cause lost access to premium markets and an increase in rejected shipments.

Monsanto is trying to get the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to approve commercial sale of seed for Roundup Ready wheat, which gives off a toxin that prevents insects and other pests from ruining the crop before it is harvested.

"We're asking Monsanto to put the interests of their customers, western Canadian farmers, ahead of their own commercial interests and put the brakes on (the wheat) before prairie farmers suffer serious financial consequences," board Chairman Ken Ritter said.

Pork to comply with labeling requirements

Premium Standard Farms officials said Tuesday they would supply pork products that comply with the Agriculture Department's country of origin labeling requirements beginning July 1.

The Kansas City, Mo., company said it will be able to certify all pigs used in their system were born, raised and slaughtered in the United States.

Source verification is one of six key components in the Premium Standard Farms' Process Verified Program, which has been in place since 1998 and is overseen and audited by the Agriculture Marketing Service. Federal laws require all companies to comply with the labeling requirement by Sept. 30, 2004.

French farmers object to agriculture reform

Nearly 20,000 farmers across France demonstrated earlier this week against agriculture policy reforms being considered by the European Union at their meetings in Brussels.

Farmers in France do not like the idea of a proposed change that would make direct payments of subsidies to all farmers in the European Union, rather than basing such payments on a farmer's output of crops.

French farmers believe they produce more crops than those farmers in other countries and they think they would lose out the most with such a change. European Union officials also are considering changes in aid payments made based on a farmer's compliance with animal welfare, environmental and food safety laws.

Crop plantings progress

The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Tuesday 88 percent of the corn crop is planted, compared to 77 percent last week, 82 percent at this time last year and 91 percent average for the past five years. Of that, 64 percent is emerged, compared to 43 percent last week, 51 percent last year and 71 percent the past five years.

For soybeans, 50 percent of the crop is planted, compared to 25 percent last week, 48 percent last year and 62 percent the past five years. Of that, 17 percent is emerged, compared to 9 percent last week, 14 percent last year and 33 percent the past five years.

For cotton, 70 percent of the crop is planted, compared to 57 percent last week, 79 percent last year and 77 percent the past five years.

For winter wheat, 76 percent of the crop is headed, compared to 68 percent last week, 73 percent last year and 77 percent the past five years.

For sorghum, 40 percent of the crop is planted, compared to 31 percent last week, 43 percent last year and 48 percent the past five years.

For peanuts, 75 percent of the crop is planted, compared to 54 percent last week, 78 percent last year and 78 percent the past five years.

For sunflowers, 21 percent of the crop is planted, compared to 23 percent last year.

For spring wheat, 90 percent of the crop is planted, compared to 78 percent last week, 86 percent last year and 88 percent the past five years. Of that, 71 percent is emerged, compared to 57 percent last week, 49 percent last year and 67 percent the past five years.

For barley, 90 percent of the crop is planted, compared to 75 percent last week, 89 percent last year and 88 percent the past five years. Of that, 70 percent is emerged, compared to 51 percent last week, 50 percent last year and 66 percent the past five years.

For oats, 94 percent of the crop is planted, compared to 87 percent last week, 93 percent last year and 93 percent the past five years. Of that, 82 percent is emerged, compared to 70 percent last week, 69 percent last year and 81 percent the past five years.

For rice, 90 percent of the crop is planted, compared to 83 percent last week, 95 percent last year and 94 percent the past five years. Of that, 81 percent is emerged, compared to 72 percent last week, 84 percent last year and 81 percent the past five years.

Grain futures close mixed

CHICAGO, May 27 (UPI) -- Grain futures were mixed at the close on the Chicago Board of Trade Tuesday.

Corn suffered from favorable planting weather during the weekend and profit-taking as a result of contract highs reached last week.

Soybeans were mostly higher on export inspections on the high end of estimates. Long positions by heavy funds tempered gains.

Wheat rose on rains in the Southern Plains that hampered early harvesting of winter wheat. Gains were limited by weak export demand, although inspections were up slightly from last week to 12.6 million bushels.

Oats were lower.

The prices:

Soybeans: Jul 6.30 1/2 up 2 1/4, Aug 6.27 3/4 up 1 1/2, Sep 5.92 3/4 off 1 1/2, Nov 5.61 1/2 off 3.

Corn: Jul 2.42 off 1 3/4, Sep 2.39 3/4 off 2 1/2, Dec 2.40 1/2 off 2 1/2

Wheat: Jul 3.27 1/2 up 4 3/4, Sep 3.32 1/4 up 5, Dec 3.41 3/4 up 4 3/4, Mar 3.46 1/2 up 2 3/4

Oats: Jul 1.43 3/4 off 4, Sep 1.42 off 2, Dec 1.41 off 1/2, Mar 1.47 1/4 off 3/4.