12/09/13: Grain barge found adrift; new Cargill CEO; Taiwan to buy $4 billion in US ag products

A loaded grain barge has been apparently intentionally adrift in the Columbia river, Oregon, USA on Friday.

The crew of a passing tug boat spotted the 252-foot-long barge, which was floating unlit and unmanned near a staging area between Portland and Vancouver.

Tidewater Barge Lines staff members had reported the barge missing at about 10 p.m. on Friday.

The barge was towed back to the staging area where it had been moored.
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Cargill has named David MacLennan as its new CEO.

MacLennan, 54, has been with the company since 1991 and is currently Cargill's operating chief and president.

MacLennan will take up the role when current CEO, Gregory R. Page, retires on December 1, 2013.
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The Taiwan Feed Industry Association on behalf of the Taiwanese Agricultural Goodwill Mission has signed a letter of intent with the U.S. Grains Council committing to purchase 5 million metric tons (197 million bushels) of U.S. corn in 2014 and 2015. In addition, 0.5 million tons of distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) will be included in the memorandum.

The total value of intended purchases is estimated to be nearly $4 billion, making Taiwan's letter of intent evidence of a U.S. commitment to strengethen trade ties and maintain a well-established partnership with the nation.

“Over the last 40 years, Taiwan has been one of the most import export markets for U.S. coarse grains and products,” said Julius Schaaf, USGC chairman. “With Taiwan producing less than one percent of its needed grains, the United States is able to be a major supplier to the nation. In 2011-2012, Taiwan was the sixth-largest U.S. corn market, the third-largest U.S. barley market and the seventh-largest U.S. sorghum market. The Council is proud of the partnership we have had with Taiwan for many years and are excited for the possibilities that continue to grow from this partnership.”

The Council has played an integral role in building and sustaining close ties between the United States and Taiwan. Even though U.S. agriculture exports to Taiwan are facing increasing competition from other suppliers, the Council continues to offer customer service, through providing timely and objective market information and assuring the Taiwanese of the quality and reliability of U.S. coarse grains and products. Through this relationship, Taiwan has remained one of the most stable markets for U.S. agriculture.

English: Barge traffic on the Cumberland River at Smithland in Livingston County, Kentucky , USA. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains the river for tug-and-barge navigation. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

14/03/2013: New survey to detail global hunger; Cargill to start noise mitigation project; Biomin mycotoxin app

The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is set to field test a new, more precise way of measuring hunger and food insecurity across the world.

The 'voices of hunger' project will use several pilot countries, through a carefully designed annual survey to be conducted in collaboration with polling specialists Gallup Inc, to gather information on the extent and severity of hunger.

In line with UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon's Zero Hunger challenge, the pilot countries -  which include Angola, Ethiopia, Malawi and Niger - have agreed to move toward the complete eradication of hunger.

The plan is to then extend the survey to more than 160,000 respondents in up to 150 countries covered by the Gallup World Poll and to publish updated results on each country every year.

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Having received the necessary project permits from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA), Cargill can now move forward with its noise mitigation project, first announced in April 2012.

The project, which supports efforts to reduce noise impact levels caused by Cargill’s grain terminal located on Vancouver’s North Shore will consist of the installation of two fan exhaust silencers, eight dust collector silencers as well as the installation of sound absorbing barriers along the north side of the facility.  The project also includes the re-distribution of ventilation fans to reduce noise levels for the nearest residences.

“We are looking forward to moving on to the next phase of this project”, said Gerry Dickie, general manager at Cargill’s North Vancouver grain terminal.  “We understand the positive impact that these improvements to our facility will have on reducing the noise levels experienced by the surrounding community, and we are thankful to the VFPA for approving our plans”.

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Biomin has launched a new app for Android devices to track and trace mycotoxins. The Mycofix app gives instant access to worldwide data on mycotoxin occurrence and risks.
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Space-filling model of the penicillic acid molecule, a mycotoxin. Colour code (click to show) : Black: Carbon, C : White: Hydrogen, H : Red: Oxygen, O (Photo credit: Wikipedia)