Food, in brief

Soybean mills in Iowa, Indiana and Minnesota are paying farmers extra for beans delivered within days, because last year's beans have run out and this year's are still in wet fields. [1]

A mill presses soybeans into soymeal, a protein feed for farm animals, and soy oil, used in food and in biofuel. [1]

Cargill, a global farm-trading giant, bid $1 a bushel over the Chicago November futures price for beans brought to its Sioux City mill on Thursday or Friday. [1]

The futures price is what traders agree now for beans delivered later, and Cargill's bid came to $14.175 a bushel. [1]

For beans delivered on Saturday, the same mill bid 15 cents under the futures price, so the extra money was only for beans that came this week. [1]

Bunge's mill at Council Bluffs, Iowa, raised its extra payment from 65 cents to 85 cents a bushel. [1] ADM, CHS and Shell Rock Soy Processing paid similar extras in Iowa and Minnesota. [1]

Some mills have cut back, and three Cargill mills in Iowa offered no soymeal for sale because of a lack of beans, grain traders said. [1]

October soymeal futures hit their highest level since that contract began trading. [1] They cost more than December soymeal for the first time in more than two years. [1]

The cause is rain: heavy August rain soaked the crops, and late-summer rain left fields too muddy for harvesting machines. [1] Wisconsin had only 3.5 days fit for fieldwork in the week to 20 September. [3]

The US Department of Agriculture's weekly count put Iowa's soybean harvest at 2% on 20 September, against a five-year average of 5%. [2]

Across 18 states the harvest is ahead: 12% of soybeans were in, against 8% on average, led by the South, where Louisiana was at 73%. [2] In drier Kansas, 40% of the corn was in, against 28% usually. [4]

The mills were built for more beans: US crushing capacity grew with demand for soy oil in biofuel, and the USDA expects a record 2.78 billion bushels pressed this crop year. [1]

Why it matters. Forecasts showed more rain into the next week, so watch whether Iowa's fields dry out: the extra payments last only while the mills cannot get beans. [1]

There were 74.3 million hogs and pigs on US farms on 1 September, 2% fewer than a year before, the US Department of Agriculture counted on 24 September. [5] The breeding herd of sows fell 1%, to 5.87 million. [6] Farmers plan to have 2% fewer sows give birth from September to November. [6] Each litter raised 11.96 piglets over the summer, up from 11.82 a year earlier. [6][7]

Why it matters. Fewer sows giving birth this autumn means fewer pigs later, though bigger litters make up part of the gap. [6] Iowa holds a third of the herd, 24.7 million pigs. [7]

US food-safety officials recalled more than 167,000 pounds of raw pork, beef and goat on Tuesday 22 September. [8] Star Meat Delivery, a North Carolina company, had put a federal inspection mark, EST. 1363, on meat it was not approved to process. [8][9] Officials said on 25 September that it had worked for four years without proper inspections or permits. [9] No one has been reported ill. [8]

Why it matters. The meat passed through at least four companies, including a Georgia distributor, A&D Foods, before a small shop in South Carolina sold it. [8][9] The Trump administration is also removing inspection rules it calls unnecessary, to help small meat plants compete. [9]

England's 233 million pound Sustainable Farming Incentive ran out of money in under six hours on Tuesday 22 September. [10] The scheme replaced EU subsidies after Brexit, and pays farmers to plant hedges, sow wildflower strips and protect soil. [10] It opened at 10:00 and closed at 15:48, and thousands of farmers missed out. [10] Ministers had added 20 million pounds on top of 50 million pounds announced in August. [10]

Why it matters. The National Farmers' Union said cash pressure on farms added to the rush. [10] England's government says more money will come in 2027, but has not said how much. [10]

Palm oil prices in Kuala Lumpur fell as much as 1.3% on 23 September, to 4,750 ringgit a tonne, the lowest since 3 August. [11] It was the fifth day of falls in a row, the longest run since late February. [11] Traders worry that stocks are piling up in Malaysia, the world's second-biggest grower, as output peaks and demand weakens. [11] Crude oil and other vegetable oils fell too. [11]

Why it matters. Full stores in Malaysia pushed the price down. [11] In Iowa the same week, empty bins pushed the price of soybeans for quick delivery up. [1]

Indian farmers are spending less on pesticides, fertilisers and seeds this year because the monsoon has been weak, the head of Rallis India told Reuters. [12] Rallis sells seeds and crop chemicals and is owned by Tata Chemicals. [12] Monsoon rain was 15% below average by 21 September, the bank Barclays said. [12] Rivals Dhanuka Agritech and Godrej Agrovet also blamed the rain for weak sales. [12]

Why it matters. The June to September monsoon brings nearly 70% of India's yearly rain, so a weak one makes farmers unsure of a full harvest. [12] Winter crops such as wheat are planted from October, so the next spending choice comes soon. [12]

The US farm office in Manila has cut its forecast for Philippine rice production in 2026/27. [13] It blames El Nino and high fertiliser costs, while demand holds up despite high shop prices. [13] The Philippine Department of Agriculture has stopped imports of premium-grade rice and is unlikely to extend its cap on shop prices. [13] Forecast imports are unchanged, to cover the shortfall and build a reserve against drought. [13]

Why it matters. Filipino shoppers face a smaller harvest and a price cap that is likely to end. [13] The Philippine government is also running a safeguard investigation, a formal review that can lead to limits on imports. [13]

India's exports of carabeef, the meat of water buffalo, are forecast to reach 1.9 million tonnes in 2027, up 2.7%, the US Department of Agriculture's office in India said this month. [14] Exports are near record levels because Indian meat is cheap and new markets keep opening. [14] Total cattle and buffalo meat output is forecast to grow to 5 million tonnes. [14]

Why it matters. More meat means more animals slaughtered, and India's herd is forecast to shrink slightly to 307 million head. [14] Indians are eating more of it too, because it is cheaper than other meats. [14]

Beef in Russia cost 76% more in July 2026 than in January 2022, according to Rosstat, the state statistics agency. [15] Fresh coffee rose 81%, and butter and milk almost 50%, pushed by inflation, tax rises and Western sanctions. [15] A New York Times reporter in Moscow found bananas at a local shop nearly doubled since August 2022. [15] Another shopper noticed milk sold in 900ml packs where a litre used to be. [15]

Why it matters. Wages have not kept up with prices, so families have less left at the end of each month. [15] One shopper said she had stopped buying salmon and berries. [15]

US grocery prices were 2.2% higher in August than a year before, and did not rise at all from July, official price data showed. [16] Ricky Volpe, a farm-business professor at Cal Poly, expects them to rise again as tariffs, fertiliser, diesel and dearer corn work through. [16] Grocers' profits averaged only 2.3% of sales since 2020, says FMI, the industry's trade group. [16]

Why it matters. Volpe said a dearer crop takes time to show up first in wholesale prices and then in shops. [16] Restaurant prices have risen faster than grocery prices since before the pandemic, though that rise has slowed over the past year. [17]

A review of 51 long-running studies covering more than 8 million people linked eating more ultra-processed food, such as sweets and packaged snacks, with heart disease, cancer, obesity, depression and earlier death. [18] Each extra 100 grams a day was tied to higher risk. [18] Eight of the studies found no link with high blood pressure, and the authors could not say how much is safe. [18]

Why it matters. The studies follow people over time, so they show links, not proof that the food caused the illness. [18] In California, Non-UPF Verified, a group that runs its own label, asked Governor Gavin Newsom to veto a bill creating a state label for food that is not ultra-processed. [18]

Salty farmland makes crops waste nitrogen fertiliser, a study published this week in the journal Nature Food found. [19] On salty fields farmers use 13% more nitrogen, the crop takes up 7% less, and 61% more nitrogen escapes into air and water. [19] Ten ways of managing salt could cut those losses by 59%, about 2.5 million tonnes a year. [19]

Why it matters. The authors put the net benefit at about $24.5 billion a year, with the biggest cuts in China, Pakistan and Indonesia. [19] It is a worldwide model, not yet a result measured on farms. [19]

An Iowa family that raised 2,000 hogs at a time has turned half of one 200-foot hog barn into a mushroom farm. [20] Under contract feeding, a company owned the pigs and paid for feed, while the family paid for the barns. [20] The Faaborgs borrowed $400,000 for two barns and took 12 years to pay it off. [20] Rand Faaborg said his pay from hogs fell by two-thirds over 35 years. [20]

Why it matters. Transfarmation, a project of the charity Mercy for Animals, pays the family $216,000 over four years to share its costs and results with other farmers. [20] More than half of US hogs, 56%, are raised on this kind of contract. [6]